


Vermillion & Silver

by Ricochet713



Series: Bloodties [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Blood, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Language, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Mild Smut, Original Character(s), Slow Burn, Talon - Freeform, Unrequited Crush, Vampires, Vampirism, Violence, Will add tags as I go, and there's character death but also not death??, i'm sorry i keep picking on Genji and Reyes, it's just canonically they go through hell so i try to reflect that in my fics, just wait, like they die but they're not dead wink wink, more smut to come, vampire, well more like lovers to enemies to lovers again, what are tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-08-14 23:31:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 53,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8033266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ricochet713/pseuds/Ricochet713
Summary: After losing his brother in a hunt gone awry, veteran vampire hunter and leader of the world-renowned Shimada hunting clan, Hanzo Shimada, receives an invitation to accompany a fellow hunter by the name of Jack Morrison on one of the most dangerous hunts he's ever faced. Their target: a violent, unpredictable and blood-thirsty menace known as A02VRML, the very creature that Hanzo suspects stole his brother from him years ago. But the trail leads the hunters down an unexpected path when they realise that this vampire is not what he appears to be.





	1. Hunter (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> As of December I've gone back and done some serious editing of the fic so far, just to improve continuity and make everything flow a bit better, so if you're up to date you might want to go back a re-read while you're waiting for the new chapter (which is very close, I swear!!).
> 
> I've seen a few vampire fics around for Overwatch but this was actually inspired my other fic, Outbreak, as I was editing it, and I wanted to move away from the priest/devil dynamic. I'm hoping to not make it too angsty and there will definitely be fluff and smut in future chapters.  
> If you want to read more please throw in a kudos, and if you have any questions/suggestions feel free to mention it in the comments, I'll answer everyone! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy it!!  
> For more info on the lore used in this fic, check out my short lore-centric work that I wrote just for this: http://archiveofourown.org/works/8038576  
> Also, my tumblr accounts are dragonace713 (writing and general stuff) or keepcalm-reapon (all Overwatch stuff) if you want to follow me on there!

It was the brothers’ first hunt together since their father had died. After decades of running Japan’s most prestigious league of vampire hunters, the years of fighting had finally taken their toll on the head of the Shimada family, and rule of his empire had fallen onto the shoulders of his eldest son. It did not sit lightly.

Hanzo had often felt that he would crumple beneath it, that the weight of leadership would simply be too much for him, and the burden had not been made any easier to carry by his younger brother. Genji had always been reckless, wilful, disobedient; he had been lucky to make it home alive from his last few hunts. This time, however, Hanzo was there to keep an eye on him, to keep him in line - but that was easier said than done.

“Tell me, brother,” Genji huffed quietly, “why it is necessary to sneak up on them like this.”

Hanzo grimaced. “Quiet.”

“Everyone knows vampires can smell humans from miles away.”

Irritated, Hanzo shot his brother a sour look over his tattooed shoulder. “ _That_ is why we are using the sewers,” he snapped back.

It wasn’t Hanzo’s preferred mode of travel, that was for certain, but travelling through the underground sewer-ways of London was an excellent way to remain undetected, and – if the information he’d been given was correct – would lead them straight to the location of the vampire coven they were targeting. Or rather, straight underneath it. The smell of sewerage would disguise the scent of their blood, and they could enter the ruined church’s crypts from below, where the vampires would not expect them to.

Turning his attention back to the narrow pipeline in front of him, Hanzo pulled the cloth covering the lower half of his face tighter against his nose; it didn’t save him entirely from the ungodly stink, but it was better than nothing.  With his other hand, he gripped his bow tightly. Silver-tipped arrows clinked quietly in the quiver at his back. Behind him, he heard Genji’s silver sword clack against its sheath. It was old fashioned, people had told them - old-fashioned, obsolete and risky, to use weapons like bows and swords instead of guns, but these were the weapons their father had taught them to use, and they allowed far greater precision than any gun and its silver-lined bullets could.

The communicator strapped to his wrist blipped softly to alert him that they’d arrived at their location, and Hanzo was more relieved by the sound than he’d like to admit. He'd always felt safest when he could feel open air and see the sky above him; he’d never been fond of dark, enclosed spaces, even long before he knew exactly what could be hiding in them. With Genji’s help, they located a small drain and unscrewed it from its mount, carefully sliding it away before pulling themselves up through it, both brothers thankful that they were so slim. With the drain carefully reset, they glanced around. Pale limestone floors and walls lit with modern LED lights surrounded them, elaborately carved marble tombs sat in small, semicircle alcoves cut into the walls, statues of Mary and Jesus adorned pillars supporting the low, stone roof. The church had once been a tourist attraction, before the vampires had moved in; a glass plaque with a description of the crypt’s history had been attached to the wall just to Hanzo’s left.

Hanzo tugged the material covering his face down around his neck. “Stay quiet,” he whispered to Genji below his breath, “and _do not_ do anything reckless.”

Genji just scowled and gave a reluctant nod.

The reports from the other hunters were usually the same: that Genji had run off suddenly to attack the vampires on his own, had gotten too carried away in the fight and started showing off, had deliberately put himself in unnecessary danger to pull off a bit of fancy swordplay and laughed about it afterwards. He just didn’t take it seriously, and that made Hanzo worry. How long before Genji’s ‘fun’ got him killed? Hanzo didn’t want to think about it, not as they crept up the narrow stairway and stepped out into the first of a maze of narrow, dimly-lit corridors. The floors here had been covered in a layer of treaded rubber to improve footing, and conveniently helped to quieten their steps as they made their way along it. The maps on his comm had showed him that this particular corridor should lead them to a large altar room directly beneath the church-proper, where the vampires usually gathered. Sure enough, as they drew closer, Hanzo thought he could hear faint murmurs and shuffling feet if he listened carefully enough. He checked his comm - their target waited just around the next corner. With a steely resolve hardened by years of experience, Hanzo readied an arrow, and Genji drew his sword.

“They should be resting, waiting for nightfall.” Hanzo’s voice was so quiet he could barely hear himself. “Most of them will be ferals, I assume. A beta or two if we're unlucky. I’ll shoot down the alpha first, then I’ll cover you with a scatter arrow as you go in. But Genji, you _must not go in_ until the alpha is down. Understood?”

Genji nodded, but didn’t look at his brother. It would have to be good enough. On silent feet, they crept forward.

More candlelight illuminated the central altar room, as well as a few aged lamps in dire need of replacement - half of them no longer worked. Through the faint amber light, Hanzo could make out marble pillars and arches supporting the high ceiling, and at the centre of the room, squatting somberly beneath an impressively ancient chandelier, was a large marble alter. Cloaked figures huddled in a rough circle around it, some shifting about, most still and silent. The stinging scent of blood hit his nose, and his skin bristled with a sudden chill. If his assumptions were correct, they would be ferals, lesser vampires that were more animal than they were humanoid, who were forced to take shelter from sunlight during the day. On their own, they were disorganised, hunger-driven, and a nuisance. Under the command of an alpha, they were a legitimate threat. But if these ferals had an alpha, it seemed to be absent; that was unusual, and made their job significantly harder. Alpha vampires were the most dangerous - larger, stronger and far more intelligent than ferals - and were the leaders of a coven. If it set its sights on the human brothers with a dozen ferals at its command, they had little chance of leaving the crypts alive.

To avoid that happening, they needed to take out the alpha first, before it spotted them - but how could they do that if they couldn’t find it? He scowled. Genji glanced at him, cocked an eyebrow. Hanzo shook his head. Wait.

Then movement caught his eye. Across a landing overlooking the altar room, above them to their right, a cloaked shape shifted between the railing gaps. Unlike the others, Hanzo could just distinguish that this one’s cloak was red, not black, and from what he could see, it seemed bigger than the others; the alpha. In a blink, Hanzo’s bow was nocked and drawn, pointing right at the creature’s shadowed head, ready to fire. In the split-moment before he released the string, the figure turned, saw him, looked right at him with piercing vermillion eyes.

Did nothing. No sound, no cry of alarm, no movement at all. Hanzo let the arrow fly. The creature wisped out of the way with no time to spare, shadows curling as the arrow cut through them. The sound of it clinking against the stone wall sent the feral vampires gathered below into a startled frenzy.

The entire plan fell apart in that instant. Genji brushed past him and dashed straight into the throng of screeching, whirling ferals. His blade cut down two, then he was lost amidst the swirling cloaks as Hanzo swore. He couldn’t risk firing a scatter arrow into the mass without potentially hitting Genji. Instead, he ducked quickly out of the corridor to higher ground, searching frantically for the alpha. Shrieks. A yell in Japanese. The _shhhing_ of Genji’s blade cutting through the air. Another wail. The creak of his bowstring as Hanzo pulled it taught. His gaze flicked around the half-lit room. _Red cloak, red cloak… there!_ Hanzo paused. The red-cloaked alpha had reappeared amongst the cluster of scattering ferals and, as Hanzo watched, it grabbed one by the shoulders as it scurried past, and promptly snapped its neck. An alpha turning on its own? Were the creatures so violent that they would even kill members of their coven? Hanzo’s lip curled back in a snarl as he watched it turn towards Genji, who was visible only as a whirling shape darting through the thinning shadows. Hanzo rose.

“Genji, get down!”

His brother dropped. Hanzo loosed a scatter arrow, taking out three more of the ferals, who were finally gathering what wits they had left to pin-point their attackers. Why was their alpha not controlling them? The alpha in question ducked behind the altar as stray remnants of the scatter arrow blast rushed past, red eyes flashing. Hanzo felt them land on him for a moment, then flick away. To Genji. Stepping out into the open again, it advanced.

His brother was back on his feet, taking out another two vampires, sword gleaming in the amber light. Another pair readied to rush him from behind. Distracted, he was unaware of the vampire stalking towards him.

“Look out!” Hanzo screamed.

An arrow took down another feral, but the alpha was still standing. Genji, hearing his brother’s yell, whirled around. Three vampires leapt for him at once, and Hanzo froze in terror. He thought he yelled something, but suddenly the only thing he could hear was his own thundering heartbeat. His fingers numbly flailed for another arrow, couldn’t nock it in time. Genji gave a strangled, pained cry, and Hanzo’s heart twisted violently. He ran forward, panic allowing him to watch, with alarming clarity, the cloaked vampire twisting its head towards Genji’s neck, and a flash of pale, sharp teeth.

“ _NO!_ ”

A powerful, heavy hand seized his shoulder. Hanzo caught the swirl of a red cloak, and the flash of red eyes within the shadows of a hood. He heard a growling voice rumble into his ear: “ _Get out of here!”_ and then he was thrown back, crashing roughly into the wall near the stairway. He collapsed to the ground, head spinning, winded. His vision had begun to blur, but he could just make out a large, red shape cutting through the smaller, darker ones, throwing them aside, knocking them down. He blinked, clearing water from his eyes. Saw Genji limp on the ground amongst the whirling cloaks, felt a thick lump in his throat, and hot tears on his cheeks. Tried to rise, stumbled, fell against the lower steps.

“Genji,” he choked out. He remembered the words growled in his ear as the rest of his surroundings suddenly felt very distant. _Get out of here_ _!_  Feeling like his body wasn't his own, Hanzo turned, crawled, found his feet and staggered down the corridor. Dragged himself up another narrow flight of stairs, tears falling freely, sobs shaking his numb body. When he reached the church’s main room, he collapsed below a worn bronze statue of the crucifix.

It had been their first hunt together since their father had died. Hanzo had failed. And his brother had paid for that failure with his life.

 


	2. The Hunt Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo meets his new hunting partner, and learns more about their targetted prey.

Hanzo had never forgotten that day. Years later, he still remembered the cold air of the crypts on his skin, the drumming of his terrified heart, his brother’s pained final scream, and the pair of blazing, vermillion eyes, burning through his skin.

He had made himself a promise that day, once the shuddering waves of grief had left him broken and weak: that he would stop at nothing until he tracked down that vampire and killed him.

That promise had brought Hanzo to America, to a large but run-down industrial city that reminded him vaguely of something out of a sci-fi movie - once-thriving, now forlorn and forgotten. It had led him to an ugly concrete building squatting between dilapidated apartment blocks, up a worn flight of cement steps to the second story, where a stern-faced, blonde-beginning-to-grey man stood leaning over a poorly kept desk in a smoke-filled, half-lit room that stunk of dust, mould and ash. The man looked up, spotted him, and raised a single, arched brow.

“Either you’re damn lost, or you’re the hunter sent by Shimada.” His voice was gruff, worn, as stony as his expression. He straightened up, and Hanzo observed a man that was fit despite his age, battle-hardened, and not to be fooled around with. Good.

Hanzo offered him a shallow bow. “Neither. I am, in fact, the Shimada himself.”

Over his cutting blue eyes, the man cocked his other eyebrow in surprise. “Well, well. I suppose I should feel privileged.” Hanzo waited as the man scrutinised him, like Hanzo had done. “The Shimada family and its students are well-respected hunters across the world. To work with its leader is a true honour. Shimada Hanzo, correct? I’m Jack Morrison.”

At his words, Hanzo gave an approving grunt. He’d heard the name before, even as far away as Japan. Morrison, a skilled and highly experienced hunter, with plenty of kills under his belt, known for his almost bull-headed commitment and determination. They would make an interesting team, Hanzo had no doubt. “The honour is also mine, Morrison-san. This hunt of yours… I have a personal interest in it. I could trust no one else to carry out this task in my place.”

“Sounds fair to me,” Jack nodded. “Hope you don’t mind, but I’ll need to ask about the nature of this 'interest' of yours.”

“Is it important?” He felt a bristle at the back of his neck, and rolled his shoulders.

“To the hunt, potentially. If your ‘ _personal interest_ ’ gets in the way of my plans and ends up with both of us on the menu, it’s sure as hell important to me.”

Hanzo scowled. He had always been reluctant to retell the fate that had befallen his brother, but he supposed that if he was to work with the hunter in front of him, it was to the benefit of both that they remain honest and open, no matter how much Hanzo disliked it.

“This alpha you have been tracking,” he began tightly, “I believe it is the same that killed my brother some years ago, in London.”

Jack rocked back slightly. “Out for revenge, then.”

A nod.

“Me too.” He returned his attention to his desk, and Hanzo crossed the room, casting a few glances around it. Metal filing cabinets overflowing with documents covered most of the wall spaces, blocking the lower halves of what windows the building had. One of the walls, left untouched by the cabinets, was instead adorned with a series of pinned-up articles and images – some sketches and some blurred photographs – as well as official witness reports and investigations. At the top read:

CASE A02VRML

Hanzo returned his eyes to the desk, where he found yet more articles and reports.

“He has to be the most well-travelled vampire I’ve ever encountered,” Jack was saying, a gloved finger tracing over a few lines of text. “Spotted in France, Russia, Greece, Brazil, and London,” he glanced briefly at Hanzo, who frowned, “as well as all over North America, and that’s only the reported cases. Every sighting has directly linked him to some of the worst reported vampire attacks on our records.”

“But the reports are unusual,” Hanzo added, tapping one of the documents. ‘ _Potential Breakthrough in Vampire Behaviour: Coven Rivalry?_ ’ was the title. “It seems he has no qualms about attacking his own kind.”

“A damn killer,” grunted Jack. “Looks like he’ll go after anything he sets his sights on.” He rubbed the palm of his hand against his jaw. “Is he travelling around to wipe out other covens? Trying to make himself stronger? Or just on a mad rampage and willing to take out anything in his way?”

Stepping back, he turned to the wall that Hanzo had previously been observing; following Jack’s attention, he noticed a blurred image at the centre of the pinned-up papers. It appeared to be a heavily pixelated photograph of a shadowed face beneath a dark red hood. From within the shadows, a pair of vermillion eyes gleamed back at the camera, alarmingly bright given the image’s poor quality. Hanzo felt his breath catch in his throat; he’d seen those eyes before.

“Doesn’t matter, I suppose,” Jack went on. “Whatever he’s up to, I’m gonna put an end to him, one way or another. And I’m gonna need your help to do it, Shimada.”

“You’ll have it.”

The dark-haired hunter glanced across at his new hunting partner, thoughtful.

“Morrison…”

“Jack is fine.”

“…Jack. You mentioned that you were on this hunt for revenge. I have told you why this case is personal for me, now I must ask why it is personal for you.”

A hum, a sigh. “A long while back, this vampire was someone I knew. A damn good friend, truth be told. But after he turned…” Impossibly, his stern expression darkened further, and a new venom entered his voice. “He became a damned monster. There's nothing left of the man I knew back then."

Hanzo noticed something written under the image, most likely in Jack’s own hand: a code and a name.

A02VRML: GABRIEL REYES

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The follow-on from the prologue! Not much happening here yet, just wait til the next chapter, I promise it's worth it.  
> Couple of notes: in this fic, vampires appear in photographs! Some vampire lore says that vampires don't show-up in film or photographs, but I threw that out in the window (oops?).  
> My other fic detailing vampire lore for this one is called "Genji's Guide to Vampires and How to Kill Them", and is meant to be from Genji's old notebook as he was training to be a hunter. It's going up right after this!


	3. On the Scent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Hanzo start working on the hunt together, and we meet a couple of familiar vampires...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so so so so sorry this took so long to update!! I thought I had the third chapter all ready to go but when I was editing it I decided it was terrible and that I had to start again. A week and a bit later and I finally have a chapter that I'm sort of happy with. It's a pretty long one to make up for the long gap.  
> Also as a note, in this AU Jack and Gabriel never left the army or joined an SEP or anything, and they're roughly 35-40 in this fic.  
> Also thank you to all you amazing, wonderful people who have been leaving kudos and comments, I love you guys so much, you honestly give me life!!!

“What is it you call this in English? A… stake-out?”

 Hanzo squinted out through the van’s misted windows. It was raining outside, a steady, drumming downpour; the pattering rhythm served to soothe his rising nerves. He had never been the sort of person to get nervous, but ever since that night in London there had been an anxious twitch at his fingertips, a slight stammer in his chest, a dread he couldn’t push down. Trying to at least ignore it, he made a doomed attempt to clear the window with the sleeve of his coat and scanned the shadowy street.

“Something like that,” Jack grunted in reply. “Couple of reports of a certain vampire ‘round here, one from Vermillion’s coven.”

A02VRML’s much briefer codename; Hanzo had noticed that Jack refused to refer to the vampire by his name, but hadn’t dared to question it. That there was some grudge held for the vampire, or perhaps for the man he used to be, Hanzo had no doubt, but it was not his place to pry into Jack’s personal motivation. He looked across at the veteran hunter.

“How can you know that for certain?”

Jack cocked an eyebrow, still facing the front window. “He’s quite… _distinct_.”

“Oh?”

“See for yourself.”

Hanzo followed his gaze, curious. Understanding hit him like a slap in the face. The figure would have to be the most far-from-discreet character he’d ever laid eyes on. Their face was covered by a wide-brimmed cowboy hat; a red serape was wrapped around his shoulders, dampened to a rusty brown by the dreary weather; pale blue jeans and pointy-toed boots peered out from under his long trench coat. The vampire strode by with a sort of lazy confidence, as though he had all the time in the world. Hanzo had to bite back a snort of disbelief.

“I… see.”

“His code is B1200,” Jack went on, and Hanzo thought he heard a hint of amusement in his voice. “He’s been spotted with Vermillion a number of times over the past couple of years, but we still don’t know much about him. Not yet.”

Hanzo raised an eyebrow - Jack shot him a half-grin and patted the heavy rifle cradled in his lap.

“I know it’s not what you’re trained to do, but we need this vampire alive – or whatever vampires are. Shoot to injure, not kill. Got it?”

“Understood.” Uncertain, reluctant, but he’d go along for now. Jack was a man who liked to be in charge, and while Hanzo was working under his lead, he wouldn't challenge that - as long as it didn't put him in danger.

Once B1200 was around the corner, they quietly slipped out of the van and began to follow him, making sure to keep their distance. The rain would mask their scent so long as they didn’t get too close, and B1200 didn’t seem concerned about being tailed. With the bad weather and the late hour of the evening, the streets were empty save for the three of them.

Storm Bow was heavy in Hanzo’s grip. He held a silver-tipped arrow in his right hand, ready to nock, draw and fire at any moment. In contrast, as Hanzo watched the vampire’s every move, he was astonished at how _relaxed_ B1200 was. He had only ever seen vampires venture out of their dens when on a hunt, and while hunting, had observed them as being elusive, hyper-alert, and often agitated. Yet B1200 strolled along like he was any other human on any other night, without a worry in the world. It was oddly confusing, unlike any vampire behaviour Hanzo had encountered.

If Jack was equally baffled, he didn’t show it.

B1200 slipped into the doorway of an old brick building, the tail of his trenchcoat swirling out of sight, and the hunters paused. From what Hanzo could see through the shadows and rain, it looked to be some sort of abandoned old factory. The den? No, it was too close to the centre of town, and from the lack of sound within, Hanzo could assume the vampire was still alone. A strong hand grabbed his arm, and he turned to see Jack holding him, his expression serious.

“We’re gonna split up,” he said, his voice barely audible. “You go in the front, I’ll go in from around the back. Remember: we’re catching the bastard, not killing him.”

Before Hanzo could ask him how, exactly, one _caught_ a vampire, Jack had released him and sprinted on surprisingly light feet around the corner, slipping from view. Hanzo scowled after him, rain dripping from his dampened hair. Not the sort of plan he would have gone with, but he had little choice now. Huffing, he crept silently towards the main entrance that B1200 had gone through, nocking an arrow to his bow.

The door was unlocked, and offered only a soft creak when Hanzo prodded it open. A cool chill rushed up to meet him, as well as the scent of dust and metal. The room within was dark, almost too dark to see. He crouched low, and strained his ears, listening for the subtle sounds of movement, but with the rain smacking against the roof his efforts were  fruitless. Without sight or sound, he was dangerously vulnerable; vampires could see well in the dark, where they had a clear advantage over their human prey. Had it been part of the vampire’s plan to lure them in here, where he could pick them off with ease? He could be waiting to drop down on Hanzo at any moment, to sink sharp white fangs into…

The lights flicked on with an irritated buzz. The harsh, white fluorescence flickered briefly before illuminating the entire warehouse. It was smaller than Hanzo had guessed, and was actually more of a workshop. He caught sight of a workbench surrounded by old boxes, racks of parts and old diagrams hanging from the walls, and a long wooden table strewn with metal odds-and-ends. And there, at the table's far end, he saw the rain-soaked coat, the damp red serape, the wide-brimmed hat. B1200 looked just as surprised at the sudden light as Hanzo had been; standing on the other side of the table, he frowned up at the ceiling, as though he hadn’t even realised that he was no longer alone and believed the lights had woken themselves up.

Hanzo should have attacked. Should have had three arrows in him by the time B1200 came to his senses, but he didn’t. Hesitation was foolish, left one open to attack, lost openings that could mean the difference between success and failure. He just hadn’t expected a vampire to be so… _handsome_.

It was a rugged sort of charm, a kind face hidden behind unkempt stubble and the beginnings of a wild beard, but pleasant, warm. What captivated him most of all, however, were his eyes: where he had anticipated meeting vicious, bright red orbs shining below the messy brows, Hanzo saw a warm, smouldering mahogany brown, and where he had thought he’d see hunger, he saw only renewed surprise as B1200 turned, met his gaze, blinked. Hanzo watched as a grin curled his full lips.

“Well,” the vampire drawled in a thick and purring accent, “they ain’t never sent such a cutie to hunt me down before.”

Suddenly Hanzo was thrust back into reality. He allowed his instincts to take over, his bow raised and aimed without his mind’s instruction. B1200’s eyes widened and he rolled out of the way as Hanzo fired; the arrow thunked loudly into the wall, just barely missing the vampire’s shoulder.

“Hold on now, we ain’t gotta fight!” Less purr now, but still a strong twang; it made Hanzo curl his lip in distaste. “Can’t we talk about this, sweetheart?”

Talking was the last thing on Hanzo’s mind. Hearing the vampire’s voice had alerted him to his location, and a moment later he was vaulting over the table to where the vampire was crouched, but B1200 was fast, and always just one step ahead. With a flick of his thumb against the shaft of his next arrow, Hanzo fired, sending scatter-arrow fragments darting around the room in pursuit of the fleeing serape; a curse and a crash confirmed a hit. He dashed around a tall stack of long-forgotten storage boxes, hoping to take advantage of his enemy’s injuries, and charged right into the vampire himself.

They gave a combined _oof_ as they hit the hard, concrete ground and rolled; the vampire’s heavy weight came to rest on top of him, and he heard a breathy pant by his ear. A new wave of panic surged over him, lending him just enough strength to thwack his bow against the vampire’s head and simultaneously knee him sharply in the groin. Another curse, then Hanzo shoved him away, rolled nimbly to his feet, looked around frantically. Where was Jack? His chances of taking down a vampire on his own were slim; of capturing one, impossible.

The vampire recovered faster than he’d expected. A weight slammed into his back, forcing him against the wall, one powerful hand grabbing his left arm by the wrist and holding it extended, the other pinning his right arm at his back. His wrist was twisted painfully in the tight grip, and his fingers unclenched in response, dropping his bow - unarmed, pinned, defenceless.

A rabbit in the lion’s jaws.

He shut his eyes tightly, drew in a sharp breath, waited for the piercing burn of fangs in his flesh.

Instead, he heard a low whistle.

“Shoot, darlin’, you put up quite a fight!”

Hanzo opened his eyes again. His head was pressed against the wall, tilted just enough that he could catch a faint glimpse of the vampire’s face – was he smiling?

“If you are going to kill me, get it over with!” Hanzo snarled, testing the vampire’s grip; vice-like, no forcing his way out.

The vampire chuckled. “Naw, I ain’t gon’ kill ya. Whatever gave ya that idea?”

“You’re a vampire!” spat Hanzo.

“Oh, right, _that_.”

What game was this creature playing at? And where the hell was Jack?

The vampire’s voice rumbled by his ear, and Hanzo gave an involuntary shiver. “Now I’m gon’ let you go and get gone outta here, a’right? Promise I’m not gonna hurt you or nothin’, so don’t go shooting me. Y’hear?”

Hanzo hesitated, his mind working frantically. Why wasn’t this vampire killing him? Was it a trap, a trick? Was he toying with his prey? His thoughts ran so wild and loud in his head that he didn’t even hear B1200 repeat his question, not for a moment or two.

“What?”

“I let you go, you don’t kill me, deal?”

“…Deal.” Play along. As soon as the vampire’s guard was down…

The warm hands on his wrists suddenly turned cold, and began to lighten - the first stages of shadow-shifting. A thin smoke brushed against his skin, and he watched a black tendril curl across his sight. Then the vampire stepped back, and Hanzo moved fast.

He dropped like a deadweight to the ground, hands lunging for his bow. In a swift movement he had it, drew an arrow, nocked it and rolled to aim at the rapidly dissipating vampire. B1200’s entire body was melting into smoke; at this in-between stage, he still had the form of a man, but his skin was a swirling dark cloud. The expression on his face was distorted by the shadowy substance, but Hanzo thought the vampire looked hurt, maybe even upset. Then a movement beyond him caught his eye.

Jack had his rifle aimed for them, and with Hanzo on the ground, he finally had a clean shot. There was a low bang and a _whoosh_ as he fired, and Hanzo watched in surprise as a glinting net stretched out in mid-air. The vampire howled as the net struck him, the shadowy form vanishing immediately and returning him to a fleshy state as he collapsed, writhing and shouting, struggling in vain to free himself from his entanglement.

“Won’t do you any good,” Jack grunted, hoisting his rifle onto his shoulder as he approached them. “That net is reinforced with silver. Vampire proof.”

B1200 tried to shirk away from the netting, unsuccessfully. He glared up at Jack, teeth bared, eyes flashing. “That’s a dirty damn trick that is!” he snarled, giving a hiss as the silver in the net’s material stung his skin.

His eyes flicked to Hanzo, and once again something like hurt crossed his expression. It baffled him, but it no longer mattered - their prey was caught.

“Sorry about the delay,” Jack explained when the vampire’s shouting had quietened to mumbled curses and insults. “Had to wait for the right shot. Didn’t want you stuck in there with him.”

“I appreciate that,” replied Hanzo, terse, “but I would appreciate it more if, in future, you would explain your plans to me beforehand, particularly if they involve using me as a distraction.”

Jack chuckled, a gruff sound. “Well, that wasn’t _exactly_ the plan. But hey, turns out you make damn good bait.”

Hanzo’s usual scowl deepened even further.

 

\-----

 

Getting B1200 back to Jack’s office had been as much of a struggle as capturing him in the first place.

They’d had to literally drag him to the van – he wriggled too much to be carried – and he’d sworn and spat in his drawling southern accent the whole time. Jack had done most of the dragging, admittedly; Hanzo was still upset about the bait remark. He was a highly trained vampire hunter, almost a master of his trade, not a pretty face to be dangled on a string. But he couldn't deny that the vampire  _had_ seemed to take a liking to him, at least enough to call him 'sweetheart' and let him go instead of killing him.

B1200’s thoughts on Jack, however, were of a far different nature.

“Yer an ugly old sunnovabitch, y’are,” the vampire grouched. “Ain’t even got the decency to kill me quick. Y’all brought me here to torture me or somethin’?” A twitch of his lips. “Or maybe yer startin’ to like me.”

“Trust me, _vamp_ ,” Jack spat back, “any other day, you’d be dead already.”

“Well, you ain’t had much luck killin’ me the past few times, _Morrison_.”

Hanzo lifted an eyebrow. It seemed that B1200 and Jack had run into each other before; he remembered the posters on the wall behind Jack’s desk, and was less surprised. Jack had been tracking this coven for a long time.

From where he stood in the corner of the interrogation room, Hanzo studied the vampire. He was bound to a chair by chains made of silver - the skin visible underneath the links was red and irritated. Silver stung vampires on contact, burned if it punctured the skin, killed if it hit the heart. More than once, B1200 had made feeble attempts at twisting out of them, but it seemed more like he was going through motions rather than actually trying to break free. He knew he was helpless.

Even so, the vampire still flashed a charming grin when Hanzo stepped forward, the mahogany eyes glinting under the shaggy mop of his brown hair – Jack had promptly removed the ridiculous hat from his head. The look caught him for a moment, flashed him back to the workshop, his confusion when he hadn’t felt the killing bite - Hanzo shook his head, sweeping the thoughts aside.

“Well hey, darlin’,” the vampire purred. “Glad yer here. Was gettin’ real sick of lookin’ at this ugly bastard’s face.”

Jack glared, his jacket rustling as he folded his arms across his chest. Electing to ignore the remark, Hanzo crossed to the table between them and the vampire and skimmed his eyes over the file sitting there, reading the title on the front aloud.

“B1200.” He glanced up at the vampire, watched him cock his head to one side.

“Naw, I got a name, y’know?”

“I do not care, vampire.”

“That ain’t it either.” B1200 grinned. “Name’s McCree. Jesse McCree.”

“I still do not care.” Didn’t he? Hanzo had never encountered a vampire that was so… civil. Amiable, even.

He looked at Jack and raised an eyebrow, but the other hunter just shrugged.

“Vamp, a bunch of numbers, Mc-frikken-Cree, doesn’t mean shit to us,” Jack huffed. “We wanna know where your coven is hiding. And if you don’t want to tell us, we’ll find a way to make you. Got it?”

Jesse smirked. “Well, iffen that fella there-“ he nodded to Hanzo – “is doin’ the makin’, I might just spill.”

Hanzo stiffened, scowling. He had to bite back a sudden viciousness on his tongue - he wouldn’t give a vampire the pleasure of seeing him lose his cool. Instead, he rolled his shoulders and fixed a cold, imperial stare on the creature, inwardly grinning as Jesse seemed to shrink back a little.

“Talk, vampire,” Hanzo commanded with all the authority he could gather; he noticed Jesse shiver at his tone. “I would not advise you to test my patience.”

“A feisty one, eh?” Despite his words, Jesse didn’t sound quite as confident as he had previously. “Y’know, I kinda like that in a fella.” He leaned forward as much as he could, wincing a little against the chains. “Never been one to back down from a challenge, after all.” A wink.

Hanzo curled his lip in disgust.

Jack brought his hands down heavily on the tabletop. “Quit screwing around, _vamp_. Tell us where to find your coven, _or else_.”

The flirtatious look on Jesse’s face quickly fell away into a grimace. “Quite callin’ me _vamp_ , would ya?” He sniffed indignantly. “And what’ve ya’ll got against our coven anyway, huh?”

“You _know_ what we’ve got against you.” Jack leaned forward across the table, and Jesse leant back a little. “A02VRML is one of the most dangerous alphas on our records. It’s high time he, and you, got put in the ground, where you belong.”

“He’s got a name, you know.” Jesse frowned, trying to hold his own under Jack’s burning gaze. “Why’re you so scared to say it?”

“That name belongs to a man, to a friend,” growled Jack. “Not to a _monster_.”

“Just ‘cus we’re vampires doesn’t mean we’re monsters.”

At that, Hanzo started. Either this vampire was a complete fool or… The alternatives were almost too bizarre to even cross his mind. A vampire that walked freely through human cities, who had spared his life, who claimed to _not_ be a monster… Was such a thing even possible? Surely it was some lie constructed to try and trick them, it had to be. Didn't it? He narrowed his eyes as Jack continued.

“Your kind have slaughtered thousands of people. The world’s on the verge of a damn crisis ‘cus of you lot. And Vermillion? He’s one of the worst.”

“His name is Gabriel!” There was a new fire to Jesse’s voice. He met Jack’s outraged glare evenly, defiantly. “His name is Gabriel and he sure as hell ain’t no monster, dammit!”

“He’s killed hundreds of people!”

“Of _vampires_!”

“He- what?” Jack blinked, his temper suddenly fizzling out. “What the hell are you on about? He’s been spotted at some of the worst massacres across U.S.A and Europe, for crying out loud. You’re telling me he _didn’t_ kill those people?”

“Damn right I am.” There was no hesitation, no hint of a lie. “He weren’t there to go on a massacre, he was there to try and _stop_ ‘em. All those reports, they ever mention that after those massacres, vampire attacks dropped right off the map? Dozens a month then suddenly none?”

Hanzo spoke; cautious, but curious. “I have seen it mentioned in some reports. No signs of the covens known to be in those areas were found.”

Another huff from Jack. He removed his hands from the table and stuffed them into the pockets of his faded blue jeans. “Vermillion was picking off rival covens as he went, building his own power.”

“Naw.” Jesse shook his head. “ _Gabriel_ an’ I were picking off covens ‘cus they were a threat to people. Trust me, without us, y’all’d have twice as many reports an’ massacres to wave around.”

“You honestly expect us to believe that? _Vermillion_ is a ruthless killer, a monster who’ll turn on his own kind if they get in his way.”

A sudden memory jolted Hanzo from the past. London. The crypts below the church. Ferals shrieking and screaming. Genji disappearing in a mass of swirling cloaks. A vampire with bright vermillion eyes, cutting through the swathe, tearing through the ferals as they scattered before him. _Turning on his own kind_. Hanzo had thought the same thing, had _seen_ it.

But then he remembered the hand on his shoulder, the words growled in his ear as grief tried to swallow him:  _Get out of here!_ The sorrow he had kept so carefully contained threatened to rise up again, a whisper of a storm, an echo of despair - Genji had been lost that day.

But Hanzo had survived.

A rattle of chains lurched him back to the present, heart thumping and nauseous. Jesse was straining in his seat, either oblivious to or ignoring the way the silver chains turned the skin of his arms red and angry.

“Gabe ain’t no monster, an’ you can bet your ass I’ll die before I let you hurt him!”

Jack grunted, stepping back from the table. “You might think you’re fooling us, but you haven’t got a hope in hell, you or your alpha. I’ve seen what vampires do; what _all_ vampires do. They kill, they destroy, and they sure as hell aren’t human. You’re heartless, blood-thirsty, red-eyed monsters, and that’s all you’ll ever be.”

 

\----- 

 

_The most important thing you must always remember when on the hunt is that while vampires may look similar to humans, they are not. Once the venom is in their veins, they lose all their humanity. They are violent, merciless creatures who desire only the blood of their victims. Never forget that. And never, no matter what, let them deceive you. Those that don’t attack you on site will try to convince you they’re not like the rest of their kind. It’s a lie. All vampires are the same. They are all monsters._

Ever since he’d become a vampire hunter, that’s what Jack had been taught. He’d repeated it as a mantra to himself, over and over, thinking of the friend he’d lost.

Monster. That’s all Gabriel Reyes was now. No longer his old friend from their days in the army, not the man with the warm smile and kind heart behind a captain’s stern mask, not even a shadow of the person that had stolen a kiss from him on a cool winter’s night as they walked together through the snow-laden training grounds, their shoulders pressed together to fight off the chill, that had left Jack’s heart hammering whenever he was around. That man was gone. He'd been lost six years ago, when he had been turned, when he had been forced into a fate worse than death, when Jack had left the army behind and set off to become a vampire hunter, in the hope of one day eliminating the creature that had replaced his dear old friend.

Jack sat alone at his desk, a single lamp spilling orange light across the scattered pages in front of him; the cover of the folder they poured from read: “A02VRML”.

 _He’s got a name, y’know_.

That monster didn’t deserve his friend’s name.

 _Just ‘cus we’re vampires doesn’t mean we’re monsters_.

Jack ran a hand over his face and gave a deep sigh. It was well past midnight, a poor time for dwelling on difficult thoughts. Hanzo had excused himself an hour ago, claiming to need sleep, but Jack knew he wouldn’t get it. The hunter had seemed flustered, distracted, ever since their interrogation of B1200. They both were. How often did one encounter a vampire who claimed to hunt his own kind?

And if B1200 – Jesse – was telling the truth, _why?_

It had to be a trick. A game they were playing to throw the hunters off, get themselves out of trouble, to try and turn the tables. But boy, what a game it was.

The vampire was still in the holding cells below the office; it had once been a police building, until about five years ago, when the vampire attacks in the area had gotten so bad that most people had just packed up their bags and left. After the attacks had suddenly dropped off a few years ago, people had started to drift back, mostly squatters or wanderers with nowhere else to go. They knew about Jack and his little office, had heard why he was there, had seen him and his jacket with the Nightwatch emblem roaming the streets. Nightwatch: the leading vampire hunting organisation in the world, an international beacon of protection against the vile creatures of the night. The ones who had taught him that vampires were, always had been, and always will be, monsters.

He hadn’t realised how cold the room had become until he shivered. Tugging his jacket collar up to warm his neck, he frowned; it was early Fall, no way it should be this cold yet. He blamed the late hour and his distracted mind for not realising sooner. Hunter training 101: Signs of Vampire Activity - Number 3: unusually cold temperatures in the immediate area.

Jack stiffened, and not from the chill. It wasn’t possible for Jesse to have escaped, the silver nullified even the strongest vampire’s shadowing abilities. So if it wasn’t Jesse…

The sound of a light footstep behind him tickled his ear. In an instant he was leaping over his desk, files spilling out across the floor, and making a mad dash towards his rifle near the door. The scent of blood and smoke hit his nose, made his eyes water, then something slammed into him, sending him sliding sprawled-out across the tile floors. In a panic, Jack scrambled to regain his footing, sights fixed on the assault rifle leaning against the door frame, teasing him. He slipped, fell, felt a heavy hand grab the back of his jacket, heard a painfully familiar voice above him.

“Fancy seeing you here, Jack.”

Crouched on the floor, Jack was able to reach the silver dagger tucked into his boot in a split-second, before the vampire even had a chance to realise what he was doing. He swung, embedding the dagger in the creature’s arm - it bellowed in pain and anger, releasing him to claw at the weapon.

“HANZO!” roared Jack, making another lunge for his rifle.

It was inches away from his fingertips when the vampire tackled him, moving with inhuman speed to straddle him, pinning him on his back. He looked up into burning, vermillion eyes, shining out from the shadows of a hooded black cloak.

“ _Fuck_ , Jack,” Vermillion grunted, wincing as he curled his gloved fingers around the dagger’s hilt, still embedded in his arm. “You were always an _act first, ask later_ sort of guy, weren’t you?”

The vampire winced again as he yanked the dagger free and tossed it aside. The wounded flesh hissed a little before sealing over - Jack felt a little ill at the sight. He tried to roll beneath the vampire’s heavy hips, tried to shove him off, but the creature grabbed his arms and pinned them above his head, and his thighs were damn strong. Jack continued to wriggle in vain for a moment before giving up with a huff.

“I don’t _talk_ to vampires,” he spat.

Vermillion grimaced. “Right. You kill them.”

“Before _you_ kill _us_.” Jack shut his eyes, heard his heart thundering against his ribs. “That’s what you’re here for, right? To kill me? Then hurry up and get it over with. And don’t even _think_ about turning me into one of you.”

He waited, listening to the wild rhythm of his heartbeat and his shuddering breaths, feeling the warm hands on his arms cut through the chill that had settled over the room. Tensed as he was, could almost _feel_ the blood racing through his jugular. His mind’s gears buzzed frantically, trying to scrape together a plan, anything that could keep him alive, give him a chance to get out of there.

Nothing happened. A long, silent pause. Jack opened his eyes, scowling.

“Well?”

“I’m not here to kill you, Jack.” Vermillion was sombre. “I don’t kill people.”

Jack scoffed. “Don’t bother. Your beta already tried that one, and I’m not buying it.”

“It’s not a trick, Jack.”

“ _Stop using my name!_ ” He writhed in the vampire’s grip, enraged. “You don’t get to call me that anymore, _vampire_.”

Vermillion looked hurt. “Anymore?”

“You’re not _him_ anymore. You’re a damn _monster_!”

A flash of anger in his red eyes – distracted. Jack bent his knees, got his feet flat on the tiled floor, and bucked his hips up with as much force as he could. The action caught Vermillion off-guard, and he was flung forward, his hands releasing Jack’s arms to try and catch himself. Jack rolled, using his freed arms to bash the vampire out of the way and jumping awkwardly to his feet. Before he could make a final dash for his rifle, smoke pooled across the floor where Vermillion had been, twisting and swirling around Jack’s feet - a second later, and he felt hot breath on his neck, and strong arms wrapped themselves around his body. Warm lips tickled the skin over his jugular - this was really it this time. He braced, anticipating, but there was no bite, just hot, burning breath on his neck.

Then the vampire was gone, vanishing in a plume of dark, shadowy smoke, and Jack dropped to his knees, gasping. He raised a hand to his neck - no marks, no punctures. Nothing. He wasn’t injured at all. But…How?  _Why?_

The door to the holding cells burst open and Hanzo raced in.

“Morrison!” He took in the scattered files on the floor, the discarded, still-bloody dagger, and his eyes widened. "What...?"

“Vermillion,” Jack grunted. “He got away. B1200?”

“Jesse is gone.”

Jack didn’t comment on Hanzo’s use of the vampire’s name, or on the fact that Hanzo had appeared from the stairway to the holding cells, and not from the hallway to their living quarters; he had too much else on his mind. He just nodded, sighed.

“Vermillion must have sensed that his beta was here and came to get him. Should’ve seen it coming.” Another mistake to add to the list. “You’re not hurt?”

“No.” Hanzo shook his head. “You?”

“Not a scratch.”

They inspected the holding cells together. The silver chains had been removed by hand, most likely by Vermillion, even despite the searing pain the metal would have caused him. A lot of trouble for a vampire to go to in order to save a member of his coven. Jack made a note to himself to place strips of silver around the doorframes to prevent any future visits.

Once it seemed clear that the vampires wouldn’t be returning, the hunters retreated to their rooms. Jack showered, hoping the hot water would wash away his doubts and questions, his reeling and wild thoughts, but when he finally plunked himself onto his bed, he had more than ever to contend with.

One thing he didn’t doubt: Vermillion could have killed him, twice, and didn’t.

And Jack thought it might drive him mad.


	4. Predator and Prey

It had been three days since Vermillion’s attack on their office. Both hunters had been distracted since that night, warring with a barrage of questions that seemed like they’d never be answered.

Hanzo hadn’t told Jack what he’d been doing down in the holding cells when the attack had occurred, and Jack – either because he had more pressing questions to deal with or because, maybe, he hadn’t noticed after all – hadn’t asked. If Jack _had_ asked him, Hanzo wasn’t sure how he’d explain himself.

He hadn’t intended to end up there. Just as he’d told Jack, he had gone off to their communal shower, washed himself, returned to his private room with every intention of trying to sleep. But his mind had been too busy, his thoughts wouldn’t quieten down, and he’d found himself wandering aimlessly up and down the hallway. He’d thought fresh air might help. The rain had paused but the smell of it still lingered, rising up off the steel stairway of the fire exit. Hanzo had pulled his coat around his shoulders, finding the night’s chill wasn’t entirely unwelcome. It was when he’d glanced down to the silent, unlit alleyway below that he'd noticed the outer door to the holding cells, the same they’d brought B1200 in through. _Jesse McCree_. The name that kept spinning through his head. The mahogany eyes and that enraging yet endearing smirk.

Climbing down was no effort for him, and luck had it that the door was still unlocked; an error by Jack, he guessed. Jesse sat at the same chair, chains still around his arms and torso, his chin bowed to his chest. Sleeping? Hanzo had approached on silent feet, watching him through the clear windows of the cell. As his fingers turned the door handle, however, Jesse had suddenly looked up, fully awake, seeming surprised. When he saw Hanzo step through, he’d grinned, and where Hanzo had expected to feel anger, he’d felt oddly pleased.

Hanzo hadn’t expected to talk with the vampire – he wasn’t exactly sure what he’d expected, in truth – but he had. Still no answers about how to find Vermillion - in fact, Hanzo got little more than unsolicited and unreciprocated flirtation from him, all in that disgraceful, drawling accent and accompanied by a despicable number of winks and smirks. He had been outraged to find a heat rising in his cheeks at the vampire’s endearments, and had left, despite the vampire’s protests. How could that creature elicit such a response from him? How could Hanzo _allow_ it? He should be killing Jesse, should have killed him already, and instead, he couldn’t stop thinking about him, couldn’t stop picturing that ridiculous grin, couldn’t fight off the flutter in his chest.

Perhaps vampires were able to seduce their prey. Some magic they wielded, like their ability to vanish into shadows and smoke only to reappear elsewhere - something that defied explanation. Yes, Jesse was merely trying to seduce a potential meal, and Hanzo had simply been caught off guard. Everything he’d told them about not hunting humans, about not being a monster, all part of a performance to lure them in. Nonetheless, when Hanzo had noticed a second room, one without windows, and found that it was full of yet more filing cabinets, he couldn’t suppress a sudden curiosity. As he’d hoped, they were filled with more of Jack’s files, a series of documents and reports he’d collected from Nightwatch. It had taken some searching, but he'd eventually found a section labelled B1200.

Most of the information he had already known: a member of A02VRML’s coven, distinct appearance, some physical details such as approximate height and age - he was Hanzo’s age, or would be if he hadn’t been turned - apparently he’d only appeared on records two years ago, when it was assumed he’d been made a vampire. The rest were sightings and reports of him in different locations, sometimes alongside Vermillion and sometimes on his own. Hanzo had read through them all.

That’s where he’d been when Vermillion had attacked. He’d be too embarrassed to admit to Jack that he hadn’t even heard Vermillion enter the holding cells, remove the chains around Jesse, or both of them leaving. He hadn’t noticed anything at all until he’d left the room with the cabinets and noticed that Jesse was gone, and heard a crash followed by yelling upstairs.

It wasn’t until the next day that he realised something horrifying: Jesse had known he was in that room, where he’d have no weapons to defend himself and no way to escape, where he’d be an easy target for two vampires to take down. But they hadn’t. And no matter how many hours he’d spent turning it over in his head when he should have been sleeping that night, he couldn’t figure out why.

When Jack had received a call from Nightwatch about a vampire attack in a nearby town, they’d almost been relieved to finally get their minds off Vermillion and Jesse. Not that either of them admitted it; there seemed to be some mutual understanding that neither of them would discuss just how baffled they were by the actions of Vermillion and his beta, as though talking about it might make it more real, might force them to reach an understanding they weren’t sure they wanted to.

The ride there in Jack’s old van was silent until Hanzo finally spoke.

“How many?”

Jack seemed to start a little, as though he’d forgotten Hanzo was there. “Uh, the report from Nightwatch says it’s a small coven, maybe five or six. Took out a couple of tradesmen on their way home from work. It’s likely they’ll still be in the area.”

“We’ll have to draw them out.”

“Not ideal, but without an exact location, it’s our only option.”

“Do we have a plan?”

“Working on it.”

“I will not play the bait again,” Hanzo grimaced.

Jack grunted. “Understood, Shimada.”

The streets were quiet when they arrived. Word would have spread quickly after the attack; no one would be wandering the town’s outskirts today, not unless they had a death wish - or they were hunters.

Black tape still encircled the area where the attack had occurred. As Hanzo squatted down to check for any clues or hints about the attackers, he noticed that no drop of blood had been wasted. A precise job, careful execution. A capable predator.

“Not ferals,” he told Jack. “These would have been betas, experienced ones.”

Jack frowned. "Then we'd better keep our wits about us. Make every shot count and these vamps'll be nothing but dust in no time."

Hanzo was less confident; a group of six betas working together, who worked together well, was a dangerous enemy to go up against, and they were going in blind, unsure of exact numbers, or where they'd be attacked from. It was not the sort of situation Hanzo would want to be in; his father had taught them to always find the upper hand, that it was best to take vampires by surprise, to meticulously construct and execute every action in the plan. Apparently, that wasn’t Jack’s style. Find the enemy and go in guns blazing, that was the method Jack seemed to work by, and while Hanzo was following his lead, he’d have to go along with it and hope it didn’t get either of them killed. He had to admit that their only hunt so far had been a series of very close-calls.

As they wandered further down the street, Hanzo felt his hackles rise, a sensation like he was being watched. He glanced across at Jack, catching his attention, and received a nod - Jack felt it, too. He shifted his assault rifle in his arms, and Hanzo drew his bow. The vampires would see that they were hunters, or at least not ordinary civilians, but would that deter them?

Movement ahead. Hanzo had an arrow nocked in an instant. Jack lifted his rifle. A sound behind them, then a heavy weight thudded into Hanzo, slamming him to the ground. Storm Bow was flung from his grip. The vampire was on top of him, but Hanzo was quick; he rolled, unbalancing his attacker, and drew the short knife kept at his belt, swinging it blindly. A hiss, and the vampire recoiled, allowing Hanzo to get away. He grabbed his bow, nocked, had a split second to aim as the vampire got to his feet, and fired. The arrow struck it through the chest, and it crumpled instantly. One down.

He spun around, nocking another arrow as he did so, and looked for Jack. The older hunter was frantically trying to fend off two betas at close range, wielding his rifle like a shield. Hanzo’s arrow shot one through the head, startling the other enough that Jack had time to leap back and open fire, peppering its chest with bullets. He looked across at Hanzo, about to speak, when Hanzo interrupted him.

“Behind you!”

Jack whirled around. The vampire tackled him before Hanzo had his next arrow drawn, and he no longer had a clean shot. They hit the ground. Jack struggled, his rifle the only thing between his neck and the vampire’s teeth. Hanzo rushed to help him, quickly doing the maths in his head; three down, three to go, where were the other two? Smoke rushed across his vision and something grabbed him from behind. There was laughter as he was thrown aside, hitting the concrete pavement so hard the air left his lungs in a _whoosh_. Hanzo tried to scramble to his feet, wheezing and dizzy, one hand fumbling for his quiver. He heard a spray of bullets and a pained yell.

“ _I need a hand, here!_ ” Jack’s voice bellowed over the sound.

When Hanzo looked over, he saw Jack trapped underneath one of the vampires and watched as it ripped his rifle from his grip and tossed it aside, leaving Jack to try and fend off its snapping teeth with just his bare hands. Another vampire stalked towards him, already licking its lips. The third was rushing for Hanzo, only to find an arrow protruding from his chest a second later. He reached for another arrow, fear catching what little air he had in his throat as Jack continued to struggle – he was losing. That fear turned to horror as his fingers swept through nothing. Out of arrows. They must have fallen from his quiver when he was thrown. 

And Jack was in trouble. The vampire over him was trying to pin him by the shoulders, and as Hanzo looked-on in panicked horror, it reared back, fangs bared, while Jack kicked and writhed and hit with every bit of fight left in him. It wouldn't be enough, and Hanzo couldn’t reach him in time.

Lucky for Jack, someone else could. The whirl of shadows was so fast Hanzo nearly mistook it for a trick of the eye. A dark blur, a hiss, then suddenly the vampire on top of Jack was bowled away, and a large figure in a dark cloak appeared from the tendrils. The smaller vampire yelped as the cloaked figure grabbed it, wriggled feebly as powerful hands gripped its chin and shoulders.

A low, growling voice rumbled from within the cloak’s hood, a voice that struck Hanzo with a terrifying familiarity.

_“Don’t you DARE touch him!”_

The resounding _crack_ as the figure snapped the vampire’s neck was sickening, but Hanzo shuddered for an entirely different reason; he was not surprised when the figure turned, revealing a pair of vermillion eyes. It was the first time Hanzo had seen Vermillion in the flesh in two years, but he would never forget those eyes. This was the vampire that had been there in the crypts at London. This was the vampire that had killed his brother.

Rage swept over him, pure and blazing, erasing any common sense. He sprinted the short distance between them, the fight in his veins roaring to life again. He had no arrows to shoot, but Stormbow still packed a hefty hit when swung with enough force, and that was all Hanzo needed. As he closed the gap with an impressive leap, he saw Vermillion’s gleaming eyes widen. Stormbow whistled as it arced through the air with all the force Hanzo could put behind it.

“This is for my brother!”

A gloved hand caught the bow just inches from Vermillion’s face. Hanzo tried to claw at the vampire, but was grabbed by the wrist.

“Wait!” the vampire hissed. “Just hold up a second, would you?”

“You _killed_ him!” screamed Hanzo. “You killed my brother!”

“What are you-?” Vermillion squinted at him. “Wait, you’re… Shit.” Recognition. “ _Shit_.”

Hanzo snarled. “ _Good_. You remember me. You remember my brother, too? The one you killed?”

Vermillion shook his head. “Listen, your brother, he isn’t…”

A vampire’s death-cry cut through the air. Someone tackled Hanzo from behind, knocking him forwards into Vermillion and sending both of them crashing to the ground. There was shouting, a commotion, as he rolled free of the vampire and tried to identify who had attacked him. He froze.

Standing over him, wearing a cloak and a hood and staring at him with wide, scarlet eyes, was the spitting image of Genji. Even despite the shadows obscuring some of the finer details of his face, the resemblance was so painfully uncanny that Hanzo’s heart stopped altogether for a moment, and he could choke out only a single word: “…Genji…?”

It couldn’t be. Not with those red eyes – a vampire’s eyes. It couldn’t be…

Then the vampire was gone in a flurry of shadows, and Vermillion was gone, too, and he was left sitting on the street, the dead bodies of vampires littering the ground around him, his heart thundering and his chest heaving. Jack was also sitting down a few metres away, panting and blinking, looking dazed.

“What the hell just happened?” he rasped, looking around.

Both men shook slightly from residual adrenaline. Jack flicked blood and sweat from his brow, grimacing. Hanzo felt more tired than he could remember ever feeling after a fight. But at least they were alive. Thanks to Vermillion? Had he arrived at the fight to help them? He had saved Jack's life, essentially, and had spared both of them on the night they'd captured Jesse. Then the vampire that had looked like his brother… Did it add up? It couldn’t. Why would a vampire be protecting hunters? Why would a vampire kill his own kind? Two years ago, in the crypts below that old London church, had Vermillion tried to  _protect_ his brother? Did that mean Jesse had been telling the truth about vampires hunting other vampires, about trying to be good? But _why?_ Why on earth would a vampire try to be good? And his brother... what had become of him? Could it be that he wasn't dead after all...?

He shook himself from the thoughts, feeling an ache beginning to creep across his skull. More questions, and still no clear answers. Some of those questions he was unsure he wanted the answers to. A bewildered grunt from Jack caught his attention, returned him to the present.

The other hunter was frowning at the mangled corpse of a vampire at his feet.

“I don't know what these vampires are playing at," he grumbled, "but it's starting to give me one hell of a headache."

 

\-----

 

The comm gave a sharp  _bip_ , and a voice on the other end barked statically across the line.

_“Identify yourself.”_

“Captain Jack Morrison reporting.”

_“Ah, Morrison. I take it the latest job was successful?”_

“You could say that.”

_“Elaborate.”_

“There was… an interference.”

_“By?”_

“Other vampires.”

A pause. _“Was it…?”_

“Vermillion. And a beta. But they weren’t working with the other vamps.”

An irritated huff. _“Speak plainly, Morrison. Tell me what happened.”_

“It was an ambush, we took the first couple down without much trouble but they started getting the upper hand on us. Things were about to get damn messy when Vermillion showed up. He… Look, I don’t really know how to tell you this, and you’re definitely gonna think I’m crazy, but Vermillion _helped_ us. Hell, he might’ve even saved my life.”

_“What exactly are you saying, Morrison?”_

“I’m saying I don’t think Vermillion wants to kill us. To be honest, I think he might be trying to… to protect us, even.”

Another long pause. _“Do you realise what you’re telling me, Morrison?”_

“Adawe…”

_“That’s **Commander** Adawe.”_

“Commander. Look, I had a hard time getting it through my head, too. And I know it sounds mad…”

_“It is mad, Morrison. I was reluctant to agree to this hare-brained mission of yours because of your personal attachment to the A02VRML case, and it seems I was right.”_

Jack’s anger flared. “My personal attachment has _nothing_ to do with this!”

_“You’re letting your emotions cloud your judgement.”_

“Damn it, I know what I saw!”

 _“Watch yourself, Captain.”_ A stern order. _“I expected better from a veteran hunter such as yourself.”_

Jack’s hands clenched into tight fists, his knuckles turning white. “Commander, listen, there’s something going on with Vermillion, and I don’t think it’s what we thought.”

_“I’m pulling the mission, Morrison. I’ll expect you back at HQ…”_

“No!” He slammed a fist on the table, bit his lip, tried to get his emotions back under control. “Commander Adawe... please, let me continue the investigation.”

_“This isn’t an **investigation** , Morrison. It’s a hunt. Your mission is to track down Vermillion and finally eliminate him. Understood?”_

“…Understood.”

_“Do not forget, Morrison. Vampires are not humans. They are, always have been, and always will be, monsters. And as hunters, it is our job to eliminate them.”_

“Understood, Commander.”

 _“Dismissed.”_ The line went dead with a click. Jack gave a loud sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me posting this new chapter so soon after the last one! Let's see if I can keep the words rolling and get another chapter out in the next few days. Bit shorter than the last chapter, and the next one might be a little short, too, but at least they're faster to write.
> 
> Some notes: Nightwatch is this AU's version of Overwatch; basically it's an organisation dedicated to hunting down and eliminating vampires. Jack is a captain, and the commander is Gabrielle Adawe (yeah, took a few liberties with that one, definitely deviating from canon there). Also, all vampire's eyes are a slightly different shade of red! Any questions/suggestions/so on, feel free to leave a comment!


	5. Trails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even stubborn men can't ignore their hearts forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got this updated!!!! Sorry it's taken so long, editing seems to be taking ages for me at the moment, I just really want to make sure I'm 110% happy with every chapter before I put it up. I really want to keep you guys entertained and happy so I'm kinda sacrificing speed for quality, hopefully that's ok (and hopefully it actually is quality). Thanks everyone who reads this, it really means a lot! I've got the next few chapters planned, so fingers crossed I don't spend another week and a half editing.  
> Also, there is mild smut in this chapter and a ton of fluff (finally!!!).  
> Enjoy!!

Hanzo didn’t sleep that night, and spent the next day pacing along the hallway, wandering aimlessly around the dust-laden desks of Jack’s office, picking through coffee-stained files in the holding cells room without really reading anything. Looking for any sign or mention of him.

His brother, seemingly back from the grave.

He needed answers. Needed to know the truth. Could it be him? How had he survived that night in the crypts? Had his brother been turned?

There was only one way to get the answers he needed, and it wasn’t sitting in the moldy holding cells storage room. He left it for the muskiness of the office, where Jack sat scowling down at his desk, a pair of plain glasses perched on his nose, a severely out-dated computer open in front of him, casting a soft blue glow over his pale face.

“Morrison.”

At his name, Jack looked up. “What is it?”

“I need to borrow the van.”

Jack frowned, removing the glasses to eye him suspiciously. “Why?”

“I’m out of tea.”

“You realise it’s an hour’s drive to the nearest open shop, right? Are you really that desperate for tea?”

Hanzo sniffed. “I like my tea.”

After considering him for a moment, Jack shook his head. “Fine, fine. Just don’t forget to fill her up on your way back, alright?”

He reached into one of the draws at his desk and tossed the keys to Hanzo, who caught them neatly. Offering a brief farewell, he hurried out of the office building, keys clutched to his chest, his heart thumping with his rising nerves. He _should_ be nervous about the dangers of his secret mission, about the risk that he may not return from it alive. He was, instead, nervous about finding out the truth.

About what the truth would mean.

The rumble of the van’s engine soothed him somewhat, but as Hanzo got closer to his destination the worry returned, fiercer than ever. The sun was setting behind the abandoned old buildings, and by the time he parked the van, the streets were bathed in shadow. It looked different in the fairer weather, but Hanzo was sure this was the place. He left the van, locked it, tucked his hands into his coat as he started to make his way along the street. Turning the corner, he cast a quick glance around before taking up a position against the brick wall of an old workshop.

Just as he’d hoped, it wasn’t long before someone else came around the opposite corner, striding towards him with easy, loping steps, boots clacking against the concrete.

Hanzo heard a scuff, and the clacking paused.

An uncertain cough.

“Evenin’…”

A single word was all it took for Hanzo’s anger to prick at him. But it wasn’t alone. As he looked up to see the vampire’s shy, almost awkward, grin, he felt a strange, inexplicable warmth deep in his belly; it made him even angrier.

“You ain’t got yer bow this time,” Jesse continued, less hesitant.

“I do not need it to kill you,” growled Hanzo.

Jesse flinched a little, cocked his head to one side. “Is that what yer here for? To kill me?”

“…No.” Hanzo eyed him, his mahogany eyes, his plaid shirt and weathered jeans, the damn hat and serape. “Not unless you provide me with information.”

A wide grin spread across Jesse’s face. “Ohh? Willin’ to bargain with me now, are ya? You ain’t startin’ to get fond of me, eh, hunter?” He took a few lazy, confident steps forward.

Hanzo swallowed, resisted the urge to step back - realised he couldn’t, what with the wall behind him. Poor planning.

“Not a chance,” snapped Hanzo.

“That ain’t what it looks like.” Jesse was far too close for comfort now, brandishing the stupid grin that Hanzo found strangely hard to resist.

Hard, but not impossible. He shoved a hand into the pouch slung across his shoulder and whipped out a small vial just as Jesse reached him, leaned in, cool and smelling faintly of cigars. Hanzo thrust the vial at him, and Jesse recoiled in surprise and confusion.

“What the-?” His mahogany eyes widened and he took a step back. “Aw, shoot, hun! Don’t go wavin’ that around!”

Now Hanzo smirked. “What? Not keen on holy water, are you?”

“Stuff burns like hell,” sulked Jesse, pouting. “Ain’t no need for that, I told ya before I ain’t interested in hurtin’ ya.”

“And why is that?”

“I ain’t like that. And besides,” Jesse rolled his shoulders in a shrug, “never could hurt a pretty face like yours.”

Hanzo blinked. Seduction. A predator’s strategy to lure in their prey, he reminded himself, less-than-convincingly. Disgruntled, and scowling deeply, Hanzo lowered the vial. “I need information from you.”

Jesse smiled. “Shoot, sweetheart.”

“Do not call me such things!”

“Aw, c’mon, darlin’…”

“Stop!” Hanzo had to pause a moment to lower his voice again. How could this vampire so effortlessly illicit such strong emotions from him? Anger, frustration, endearment; it drove him near to madness. “I need to know about another vampire in your coven.”

Jesse appeared suddenly disappointed. “Aw, damn, it’s Gabriel, ain’t it? I mean, I get it, he's handsome an' all...”

“No! This has nothing to do with your alpha!” Hanzo could have hit him. “I need to know about... Is there a... vampire... in your coven by the name of Genji?"

“Genji? How'd you-?” Jesse frowned, studied him for a moment. “Ah. You must be the brother he mentioned.”

So it was true. Hanzo felt the world rock beneath his feet, and he leant back against the wall to steady himself. Genji was a vampire now. He hadn't died two years ago, he'd been turned. Hanzo wasn't sure what fate was worse. He took a shuddering breath in effort to compose himself, deliberately ignoring Jesse's look of concern. “Yes, Genji is… _was_ … my brother. I... believed him to be dead. I must know how he came to be a member of your coven.”

“Well, ya must’ve figured out that if he’s running with a coven, he’s a vampire.”

Hanzo narrowed his eyes. “But how? How is that possible?”

"He got turned."

"But  _what happened?_ "

The vampire gave a shrug. “Guess you’ll have to ask Gabe or Genji ‘bout that, but it’s likely the same as how I got turned.” He caught Hanzo’s raised eyebrow, nodded knowingly. “Five years ago, it was. Was runnin’ with a gang that got ambushed by a real nasty coven. I had what I thought was a one-way ticket to hell when Gabe found me, turned me beta instead.”

At that Hanzo interrupted him, surprised. “ _Instead?_ Explain.”

“Y’don’t know? An alpha’s venom is stronger than a feral’s or beta’s. It’ll turn ya into a beta vampire, rather than killin’ ya or turning you feral.”

Understanding hit him. “Then Genji…”

“Must've got bitten, but Gabe turned him beta instead.”

“I…see.” So that's what had become of his brother down in the crypts. No, not his brother. Not anymore. Just a vampire with his brother’s name – just like Vermillion was a vampire with the face of Jack’s old friend. Right? Hanzo frowned at the vampire in front of him - was he just another mutated shadow of what was once a good man? A monster wearing a stolen visage?

“Hanzo, right?” Jesse asked him, smiling again. “Genji’s told us plenty of stories about you, y’know.”

“He has?” Hanzo’s frown deepened. The way Hanzo understood it, a sharp line sat between existence as a human and existence as a vampire; he had been taught that the venom changed a person's mind, as well as their body. They kept the memories of their former lives, but they became someone - something - else, far from what they used to be. Which would mean this vampire wasn't Genji at all -  was just  _pretending_  to be him, in a sense. It was the only explanation he could scrape together. The idea made him ill, but even deeper than that, angry.

“Sure.” Jesse shrugged his wide shoulders, stirring Hanzo from his thoughts. “All about the trouble he used to get into, how you used to get him out of it. Sounds like he’s real fond of ya.”

 _Fond_. That was the word that set alight the fuse that had been flickering in him. This creature was not his brother anymore. How _dare_ it pretend to know him, to feel what he felt. How _dare_ it mock Genji’s memory by trying to mimic him, to steal all that he was; not just his body, but now his mind as well. Hanzo could not allow it. At that moment, his mind was brilliantly clear, all confusion gone.

Jesse was still speaking. “Sounds like the two of ya had some real good times huntin’ vampires. Course, the bad ones, not ones like us. I know it probably takes a bit o’ gettin’ used to, but I feel like yer finally startin’ to… Er, Hanzo?”

The vampire gave a yelp as Hanzo grabbed him by the serape. His surprise turned into a delighted smirk. “Oo-oh, darlin’. You really are comin’ around…”

He leaned in. Lightning fast, Hanzo used the vampire’s own weight to spin him, slam him against the wall, and pin him there with an elbow against his neck. With his free hand, he drew the silver knife from his belt and held the tip over Jesse’s heart. The vampire’s eyes flew wide open with genuine alarm.

“Hanzo!? The hell are you doing?”

“You have tried to trick me, vampire, but I am a hunter. All my life, I have been taught that every vampire is a monster, that there is nothing left of the people they once were.” 

“Wait, Hanzo, listen to me!” The vampire wriggled, but didn’t fight back. Fear, and the pressure Hanzo’s arm applied to his throat, made his voice tremble. “Hold on a second, would ya?”

“You may try to call yourself _good_ , but you are a fool to believe it.” Was he telling Jesse, or himself? It had been weak of him to hesitate for as long as he had, to have faltered time and again. No more. With each word he scraped together his resolve, told himself what must be done, gave himself no other option. “You are a vampire, and therefore you must be killed.”

“Hanzo, please!” Jesse was all but begging him. “Don’t do this!”

Hanzo pressed the knife’s tip against the vampire’s chest, and Jesse winced, closing his eyes. Truly afraid. He did not want to die. And did Hanzo want to kill him? That didn’t matter; he knew what he _should_ do, what he _needed_ to do, and that’s all he needed to know. It was all he had ever known, all he had ever done, and this time should be no different. So then why was his heart trying so hard to stop him? He had killed countless vampires in his years as a hunter, seen the fear on their faces right before they died, but it had never affected him like this, like Jesse’s fear. There was something about it that was so… human. _Not human, not anymore. A monster._ He pulled back his arm, ready to deliver the strike that would finish this vampire once and for all.

“ _Hanzo!_ ”

His brother’s voice stopped him. A strong grip wrapped around his wrist and dragged him back with such force that Hanzo was almost flung to the ground. When he regained his balance, he looked around to see Jesse slumped against the wall, eyes still wide with fear and one hand against his chest where Hanzo’s knife had been. Beside him was Genji.

Any clarity Hanzo had experienced before now clouded over. The anger that had driven him wavered at the sight of his brother, at the look in his eyes. It was a look Hanzo had seen before, that was so eerily familiar, even though the dark eyes now burned a dull burgundy, that it startled him. It was a look Genji had given him the day their father had died. Sorrow, hurt, loss - sympathy.

He expected to feel his rage rise at the resemblance, but instead it rushed from him, sinking through his feet and into the cold pavement below, leaving him empty.

“Genji…”

“I will not let you hurt him, Hanzo.” Genji’s voice was steely, but carried notes of the sorrow in his expression. “And I will not hurt you, either. Please, brother…”

“You are not my brother,” Hanzo growled, but his heart couldn’t muster the viciousness he’d intended. “My brother is dead. Vermillion turned him into a monster, a vile creature. He took away everything my brother was. I will kill him for what he has done, and I will kill you for defiling my brother's memory!”

He wished he had his bow. As he made to lunge for Genji, his legs felt like deadweights, and his resolve betrayed him - Genji caught his arm easily, gently, and Hanzo let him.

“I may be a vampire now, but that does not mean I am not the man I always was at heart. My body has changed, yes, but what our father taught us was wrong. My mind has not changed.”

Genji released his arm, and Hanzo found himself unable to fight, unwilling to. Instead he stood, listening as Genji spoke, and for the first time, began to understand what he was being told. Began to realise that, maybe, their father, everything they had been taught, everything he had known about vampires, was wrong.

“I was afraid, brother - afraid of what I had become. But I realised that I was not so different after all. I still remembered who I was, I still _felt_ the same as I always had. It was difficult for me to believe that father had been wrong, but Gabriel showed me the truth." He paused, faltering, and shook his head. "When I... was turned, he told me that I had a chance to keep my mind as my own, to forsake the life of a monster and retain my humanity. When the venom infects us, our minds are not changed - not right away, at least. It only changes you once you start to drink human blood. But Gabriel gave me a choice: I could drink human blood and let myself become a monster, or I could abstain and live like he did, as a vampire who refused to lose himself to what he had been turned into. He told me I could join him and continue to do the work I had always done: to hunt vampires.”

Hanzo’s eyes widened. “So everything Jesse told us, it's true? Vermillion and you… your coven... None of you drink human blood? And you _hunt_ _vampires_?” He shut his eyes, shook his head. “Genji… Do you know how absurd that sounds? How insane _all_ of this sounds?”

“I know, because I thought the same, at first.” When Hanzo opened his eyes again, Genji was offering him a small smile. “Our father had always told us that no vampire could be anything but evil, but that's not the truth. We _can_ be something else, if we choose to. We can be _good_. Can you imagine what he’d think about that? Probably the same thing I thought… It doesn’t get much crazier than a good-guy vampire, does it?” He gave a quiet, hesitant chuckle.

“Ain’t easy going against raw instinct, but definitely worth it in the long run," Jesse spoke up. "That’s why we can be around humans without it affectin’ us much.”

“But then… how do you…?” Hanzo grimaced, fought for words. “ _Sustain_ yourselves?”

“Animal blood,” Genji answered, pulling a face. “Not very pleasant, but if that's the price of keeping our sanity, we are willing to pay it.” He wrinkled his nose. “Just.”

“’Sides,” grinned Jesse, “the local butcher ‘round here knows us, keeps whole canteens of the stuff on stand-by for us. Nice pair o’ guys, if a bit... odd. What do they call the place again?”

Genji laughed, and this time, the sound was full and whole-hearted. “Junkers’ Meats - Everything Except Pork!”

Hanzo was still fighting to believe what he was seeing and hearing. A storm of thoughts ricocheted around his skull, making his head ache. To realise that, all this time, he had lived his life by rules that were, in fact,  _wrong_. His very purpose was constructed around the idea that vampires were a scourge that had to be removed from the world, and now here was one - Genji, no less - telling him that, actually, that wasn't the case. That some vampires weren't bad or evil at all - aside from a few physical details, they weren't so different from who they used to be.

Genji may look a little different, but he still acted like the brother Hanzo had known, still laughed like him, smiled like him. The way he somehow always managed that warm grin of his, even in the worst situations… that was too much like Genji to be anyone – anything – but him. 

 _Just ‘cus we’re vampires doesn’t mean we’re monsters_.

And Hanzo, finally, believed it.

“Genji… it really is you…”

 “Yes,” smiled Genji, warmly. “And I’ve missed you very much.”

“I missed you, too… brother.”

Genji reached across the distance between them to rest a hand on Hanzo's shoulder - it was a gesture Hanzo remembered from moments when he was stressed or flustered, and Genji had calmed him down.  _'Why so worried, brother? I've got your back, remember?'_

A terrible truth dawned on him.

"I... I nearly tried to kill you..." he lowered his gaze to the ground, shoulders curling inwards. "I am so sorry, Genji."

"Well, I did try to warn ya," chimed Jesse, reminding Hanzo that he was still present. "Y'know. Before you tried to kill  _me_..."

Hanzo raised his head again with a huff. "I suppose I also owe you an apology..."

"Would be nice." The vampire gave a smirk. "Come to think of it, you and Jack owe Gabriel an apology, too."

Jack. Hanzo froze suddenly. He might have learned the truth about Vermillion and his coven, but Jack hadn't. It had taken Hanzo almost killing his brother to realise it, and he had a feeling that Jack would even more stubborn than he was. Unless...

"Jack and Gabriel..." Jesse and Genji both looked at him, turning serious at his tone. "There is some history between them, isn't there? Jack still believes Vermillion - Gabriel - is evil. If Genji was able to show me the truth... Do you think Gabriel has a chance of convincing Jack?"

The two vampires exchanged a look. After a moment, Jesse shrugged, sighed. "If anyone has half a hope in hell of getting through to Jack, it's Gabriel. The two of 'em were partners once, a good while ago now, and Gabriel sure as hell hasn't forgotten about that. With any luck, Jack hasn't either."

So Hanzo had been right about the men being more than good friends. He'd have to hope that Jesse was right - if he was wrong and Jack refused to believe him, Gabriel and his coven - including Genji - were still in danger of being killed by him, and Hanzo could find himself protecting  _vampires_ from  _hunters_. But with a man like Jack, not even Hanzo could guess what would happen.

 

\-----

 

_Jack Morrison had never thought of himself as the sort of person that was easily flustered. That was, of course, before he met Gabriel Reyes. His commanding officer, a couple of years his senior, and his stern but encouraging mentor, it didn’t take long for Jack to develop a strong admiration for the man. Not long after that, the admiration started to grow into something else, something more than just respect and trust – something that made his heart stutter and his skin burn._

_He’d felt it every time Gabriel so much as looked at him, and on the rare occasions when the man spoke to him, it was even worse. It started as words of praise that gradually became more common, occasional pats of his shoulder or brushes of skin that lasted just a second longer than they should have. The most rare – but most cherished – gestures were the warm smiles that all but made Jack’s heart stop - he could've sworn that Gabriel must have known, seen it plain on his face, how it affected him. Was he doing it on purpose, to get a reaction out of him? Just messing around? Or was there something else behind it, something deeper? Jack never dared to hope as much, told himself it was out of the question, to stop being ridiculous. Gabriel was his superior and way out of Jack's league, that much seemed obvious to him._

_So when the flirting started, Jack didn’t know how to take it. It was mostly lewd jokes – ‘you’re sweating like a whore in church, Morrison!’ – or suggestive remarks – ‘looking damn fine today, Jack’ – that made him blush and fumble and look awkwardly away. For a time, they stopped, the praises and brushes dwindled, and the warm smile was replaced by a look of concern, regret, disappointment, that took Jack a while to understand. They were gathered in the cafeteria when Jack mustered up the confidence for a joke of his own, something about how his CO was ‘a real pain in my ass’. He’d almost expected Gabriel to be angry that Jack had spoken out about a superior, but he was surprised to see Gabriel smile from ear to ear, a broad grin that lit up his entire, impossibly handsome face. The expression alone had been bad enough, leaving him breathless and slack-jawed, but then Gabriel had laughed, a vibrant, warm, rumbling sound that gave him the best kind of chills. Delightful, was the word Jack had thought of at the time. Wonderful, gorgeous, perfect, were the words he thought of in his bunk at night, remembering that smile and the sound of his laugh, how it had trembled through his frame._

_The banter continued after that, more than ever; Gabriel did most of it, smirked and winked when Jack blushed or stuttered, laughed when the comments went right over the blonde’s head, as they often did. Sometimes Jack would make a few remarks in reply, at which Gabriel would act surprised or impressed, or sometimes even laugh - that was the most rewarding response for Jack, the one he aimed to illicit. It made him feel warm, happy, alive. It was as though that sound, and the feeling it gave him, were the only things Jack had ever needed._

_By the time Jack realised that he had fallen in love, it was far too late for him to back out. He was in too deep, too caught-up, and couldn’t cut himself loose. To his surprise, he didn’t really mind. Chances were he could get into serious trouble for it, maybe suspended or even kicked out of the army entirely, but to see that smile whenever Jack walked into the gym, to feel that strong hand against his shoulder, to hear that rich, rumbling chuckle, would make the consequences more than worth it._

_Even then, a lingering worry at the back of Jack’s mind wondered if Gabriel really liked him as much as he liked Gabriel. He had an answer in the early weeks of winter, a few months after Jack had joined. It was at the end of an evening outdoor training session; as the other soldiers scrambled for the warmth of the dormitories, Gabriel lagged behind on the track, and Jack lingered with him. They strolled back at an easy pace, shoulders pressed together against the chill, watching their breath waft from their lips in silver puffs._

_“You know, Jack,” Gabriel started, “when you first showed up here, I thought you looked pretty hopeless. Cute, but damn hopeless. Reckoned you had a week before you ran back to bum-fuck or wherever you came from.”_

_Jack pouted. “Bloomington, Indiana._

_Turning to look at him, Gabriel cocked an eyebrow. “See? Bum-fuck.” Gabriel winked at him and chuckled. “People from places like Indiana usually don’t think much of people like me. You, though… turns out you’re not half bad.”_

_Jack scoffed. “’Not half bad’? That’s not what you said in training yesterday.”_

_A laugh from Gabriel, a proper one this time - Jack felt his heart flip. “You know what I mean, blondie.”_

_“Do I?” Jack pulled a mock frown. “I’m pretty hopeless, right? You might have to spell it out.”_

_Gabriel gave a wry grin. “I’m saying that I like you.”_

_Jack stopped suddenly, and Gabriel stopped with him. His mind raced, the skin of his neck and cheeks burned; he must be blushing like mad. He’d hoped for this, imagined this, wished for it, and now it was actually happening. And all he could do was mumble and stutter like a shy school-girl._

_“O-Oh… That’s… Well… I… think I kinda like you, too…”_

_“Kinda?” Gabriel chuckled again, teasing but gentle, smiling but serious._

_“Kinda… a lot.”_

_“Then is it alright if I kissed you?”_

_“I…”_

_Gabriel leaned in, hovering in front of Jack’s face, so close he could feel the other man’s breath tickling his skin. Waiting for a reaction, for him to pull away, but Jack never did. His thundering heart roared in his ears, muted all other sounds, and all he saw was Gabriel’s warm brown eyes, the way they glimmered as he smiled. Then their eyes closed, their lips met, and Jack felt a fire shoot through him, right to his core._

_The next few days were hesitant, testing, trying out the new ground they walked on, but desperate to find another moment alone together. When they did, Jack confirmed his feelings by stealing a kiss of his own, and that seemed to make a silent decision for the both of them. They were a thing, an item, together, a secret hidden from the rest of the unit. Their newfound relationship, at least at first, consisted of rushed moments in the gym locker room after training, or in cramped closets near the cafeteria, or the back storage room, where they kissed and giggled and talked, precious moments in the blur of training, secret minutes to cherish later._

_The first time they were truly intimate followed not long after, when Gabriel managed to slip into Jack’s room without being noticed. Gabriel cooked dinner for the two of them and they sat together on the couch afterwards, with a movie playing on the tiny television screen but neither of them really watching it. They talked about little things, favourite movies or what music they liked. Some things they had in common, some things they didn’t, but Jack didn’t cared about that. He cared about the way his heart danced when Reyes laughed, how he couldn’t help but grin whenever Reyes smiled, how happy and comfortable he felt when Reyes looped a strong arm over his shoulders and pulled him in close. Jack had been the first to lean in, a request, hesitant, and Reyes had responded. Gentle at first, savouring the calm of privacy and all the time in the world, then gradually stronger, fiercer._

_The kiss didn’t break as Jack led them back to his bedroom, only stuttered as they flopped awkwardly down onto the bed, Reyes a heavy but welcome weight over him. They scrambled to get rid of their clothing, jeans and shirts thrown aside, messy kisses in-between, over lips and necks and shoulders; Jack let his hands roam over the sharp ridges and smooth skin of Gabriel’s torso, felt himself burn delightfully at the way those brown eyes watched him._

_“You really want to do this, Jack?” Gabriel leaned down to murmur in his ear._

_Jack gave a whimper. “More than anything.”_

_There was new passion to their kisses. Jack moaned into the lips against his, continued as those lips wandered over his skin, gasped as fingers curled around him where only his own had gone before. It was messier than Jack had expected, all hands and fingers and no real penetration, but still good; still the best thing Jack had ever experienced. Gabriel was eager but patient, guiding but gentle, while Jack was shy and clumsy and blushing so hard he thought his whole body must have been turning red. They kissed to muffle (most of) their moans and grunts, but Jack thanked the heavens he’d been given a private bunk._

_Jack reached his climax first, and Gabriel coaxed him easily through it. His lungs swelled until he was sure they would burst, he heard himself cry out a little too loud, felt his whole body tremble, then fell away into a raw, white-hot elation. He was too gone after that to do much other than moan and pant, but Gabriel took care of himself. Laughed afterwards, when Jack babbled a barely coherent apology._

_“Don’t sweat it. Just glad I could give you such a damn good time.” Gabriel smirked. “Well, if you being noisy as fuck is anything to go by.”_

_After Jack had recovered and they’d helped to clean each other up, they lay together on the bed, Gabriel’s warm body pressed against Jack’s back, curling into him as muscular arms wrapped around his waist. Comfortable, safe, wanted. At that moment there was nothing more in the world he could ask for. He fell asleep sooner than he’d wanted to, but he had felt so content, so good, that he hadn’t realised he was slipping away until it was too late._

_They snuck into each other’s rooms whenever they had the opportunity. As months went by, they tried less and less to hide their feelings, hardly needed to. The way they looked at each other, the way they worked together, it was easy enough for people to realise that there was something more than just friendship between the two men, but by that stage they weren’t bothered to hide it. Jack felt that nothing at all could tear them apart._

_And for many long years, nothing did. Through every assignment, every mission, every battle, they were always at each other’s side, and when they were at home, every moment spent together was pure bliss. And Jack had never been happier._

 

_\-----_

It had fallen apart far too suddenly, and far too soon.

Thanks to their generous service-pension and some built-up recovery leave, they took some time off together to get away from the stress of the army and enjoy some time to themselves, just the two of them. They bought a rundown little apartment on the outskirts of Los Angeles and settled down for a year of wondrous normalcy.

Two weeks later, Gabriel started acting strangely. He seemed tense, distracted, always looking over his shoulder whenever they went out, constantly checking the doors and windows to make sure they were locked. When Jack asked him about it, Gabriel shrugged him off, told him it was nothing, laughed and called himself paranoid.

Then he’d disappeared. Vanished - no sign of him, no trace to follow. No phone, no keys, no note. Jack started to fear the worst. He searched for Gabriel on foot, alerted the police, asked people in the neighbourhood if they’d seen him. For three days, Jack looked for him, fought off the despair that lurked in his gut, telling him that Gabriel was gone for good. He didn't want to believe it - not Gabriel, the man who always seemed so strong, so indestructible, the man who couldn't bear the thought of living without - but as time went by, the reality he'd been trying so hard to ignore began to sink in.

They’d heard the reports - knew there were attacks nearby, in neighbouring suburbs. They’d thought they’d be fine; they were highly trained veteran soldiers and some of the best hand-to-hand fighters in the army, surely they could fend off a couple of vamps. But, as Jack had later learned, vampires were not to be underestimated.

On day four, he arrived home from another unsuccessful search, heart-broken and panic-stricken, and saw Gabriel standing in the kitchen, as though it were just another ordinary afternoon, waiting to greet Jack as he returned home from buying groceries. He had stopped dead, blood frozen in his veins, heart still. His mind screamed at him to believe what he was seeing, to run to him and embrace, to laugh and cry and thank anything he could that he was alright, but he knew something was wrong - terribly, horribly wrong. It was Gabriel, but also not Gabriel. Gabriel but with red eyes, and when he smiled, fanged teeth.

It was a smile so like the one Jack remembered, treasured, longed for - but with the teeth, the eyes, it was suddenly the most awful, terrible thing he had ever seen, and the sound of his voice filled him with dread. This wasn't Gabriel. It wasn't him at all. It was a nightmare.

“Jack!  _Dios_ , I've missed you... I wanted to come back sooner, but I... Jack?"

He made to walk forward, but Jack lifted a hand, stopped him with a cold, dead look, spoke with a voice that was hostile and bitter.

“Stay back.”

“Jack, listen, just let me explain...” Another step.

“Don’t come any closer!” Jack pulled out the pistol he had carried with him ever since Gabriel had disappeared and pointed it at him; Gabriel jerked back in alarm.

“Jack, what are you doing? It’s me! It’s Gabriel!”

“No!” Jack snarled. Shock made him tremble, distorted his thoughts until everything became unclear. The emotions raging through him were too wild to make sense of. Fear at the sight of the creature before him, the grief he'd kept locked up for four days suddenly bursting through the floodgates, the horror as he realised that he had let this happen to person he loved more than his own life... It all boiled suddenly to a blinding anger, scalding hot, burning through every inch of him. “No, it's not. You’re not him. You _killed_ him!  You’re not Gabriel anymore… you’re a _monster_ _!_ ”

Gabriel winced, shrinking away from the words. Hurt, upset, everything Jack had sworn he would never make Gabriel feel. But this wasn’t – couldn’t be – Gabriel. Surely it couldn’t be…  Whatever the person in front of him was now, when he spoke, his voice quivered like he was about to cry, and the sound of it shattered him. “Jack, please…”

It wasn't him. Red eyes glinted. The air around him was icy. The man standing before him was wrong, was no man at all. Gabriel was gone, dead.  _Gone, gone, gone..._

“Get away from me!” he shouted, his own voice wavering, threatening to break. _Gone. Dead. Gone._ “ _Get out of here!_ ”

“Jack…”

“GO!”

Jack fired the pistol. Gabriel ducked, yelped, crashed backwards. His body turned a dark purple colour, melted into winding curls of smoke, twisting and writhing as it blundered its way through a crack between the back door and its frame, and vanished from sight. Jack collapsed to his knees, sick, fighting to breathe. Tears ran freely down his face. Ragged, aching sobs shook him, trembled his frame, wrapped his skin in a deathly chill. The pain in his heart hit him so hard he gasped aloud. He saw nothing but Gabriel’s face, heard nothing but his voice, and felt himself drop away into a deep emptiness, with only despair to keep him company.  _He's gone. He's dead. I couldn't keep him safe. I failed him, I failed, I failed..._

Night had come and gone by the time he picked himself up from the floor, eyes red and stinging, knees bruised, voice gone, lungs burning, his very soul shattered into impossibly small pieces. He was gone. The only man he’d ever loved, ever would love, couldn’t possibly have loved more, was gone, and Jack had nothing else left. Even his grief had been burn out - as he staggered to his feet, the only emotion he could muster was anger, and he clung to it as though his life depended on it. It was all he had now.

That same day, he had contacted Nightwatch and signed up to join. If he couldn't bring Gabriel back, he could put an end to the monster he'd become.

Six years later and here he was: standing in an abandoned old office with no heating and half the lights it should have, glaring at a wall plastered with photos and articles, feeling ages older than he was. Barely 40 and he was going grey; at this rate, he’d be dead by 60. Maybe sooner, if vampires kept getting the jump on him. He might have been dead yesterday if Vermillion hadn’t been there.

Vermillion. God-damn Vermillion. Jack glowered at the pixelated photo of him at the centre of the wall, and huffed. Long ago, he’d stopped seeing Gabriel when he saw that face. All he saw now was a vampire, a monster that had stolen his lover’s image and defiled it, and Jack intended to make him pay.

Or, that _had_ been his intention, when he’d started trying to track A02VRML down, but since he’d started this operation with Hanzo Shimada a week ago – was it really only a week? – Jack’s life had been saved or spared by Vermillion three times.

Three times more than any other vampire Jack had encountered.

Three times more than he’d ever have expected.

Three times more than he’d have done for Vermillion, had the tables been turned.

And it continued to baffle him. Adawe’s orders were clear: eliminate A02VRML. A week ago, Jack would have done so without hesitation. Now, he wasn’t so sure.

“Dammit Jack,” he muttered to himself. “You’re letting a vamp get in your head.”

Adawe had told him the same thing, and he’d denied it. _‘I know what I saw!’_ He’d seen Vermillion take his life in his hands and hand it back to him, three times over.

Maybe he should pull the mission. End the operation, send Shimada back to Japan and head on home to the Nightwatch HQ. Even as the thought crossed his mind, he knew he couldn’t; if he stayed, he might not be able to bring himself to kill Vermillion, but if he left, he’d never get Vermillion out of his head, not until the day he died. He was stuck.

“You never made it easy, you damn bastard,” Jack grumbled at the image.

He couldn’t keep playing cat-and-mouse forever. The game had to end sooner or later, Jack just had no idea how. The image offered no answer; he gave a deep sigh as he turned away from it.

The stench of blood and metal hit his nose a second before the chill.

Another second later, and he had unwelcome company. Four of them, to be exact. These vampires were distinctly unlike Vermillion or his cowboy beta; they were half-crouched like animals, red eyes rimmed with dark rings, snarling, and stank of blood. On the verge of going completely feral, with just enough of their minds left to know how to sneak up on their prey.

Jack had an instant to take stock: his silver dagger was in his boot; his rifle was under his desk, a few metres to his left; there was a cache of holy water on a cabinet to his right; Hanzo hadn’t returned from getting his damn tea.

Not ideal, but not impossible, either. The vampires shrieked, leapt forward, and Jack lunged for the holy water. He grabbed a vial of it just as one of the vampires wrapped strong, claw-like fingers around his leg. Twisting, Jack smashed the vial against the creature’s head, hearing a satisfying _hiss_ as the liquid burned it. It screamed and recoiled, clutching its face; Jack quickly retrieved the dagger from his boot and planted it deep in the vampire’s chest, watched it crumple and go still. He pulled the dagger free as a second vampire rushed for him, and with surprising agility, he blocked its slashing arm and sliced the blade across its throat. Gargling and shrieking, it grabbed at the thin wound, blood spurting through its pale fingers and bubbling up between its lips. Jack grabbed another vial, popped it open with his teeth, and flung the holy water at it. As it came in contact with the open wound, the vampire shrivelled with a final, pained gargle to writhe on the floor until Jack put it out of its misery with a steel-toed boot to the head.

The other two vampires hesitated for a moment, realising their prey wasn’t as defenceless as they’d hoped, and Jack snarled.

“Come on, then, _vamps_! Give me your best shot!”

Anger and hunger won over their fear, and they charged, right into a fan of holy water sprayed from the vial in Jack’s hand. They staggered to a stop, snarling and yipping in pain as they tried to scrub away the stinging water - while they were distracted, Jack hurried across to his desk, grabbed his rifle, and switched the lock.

A few silver bullets to the chest put a quick end to the third vampire, and the fourth panicked. Its skin began to change to a dark, purple colour, its frame began to blur, but Jack had no intention of letting it get away. Before the vampire could fully dissipate, Jack fired a shot, hitting it clean between its smoking eyes; it fell to the floor in a messy heap. Last one down.

For a moment, the office was eerily silent as Jack stood alone amidst a pile of dead vampires, then there was movement in the doorway, a swirling cloud of shadows spilling into the room. Jack raised his rifle, ready to fire, but paused when he recognised the vampire in front of him.

“Jack!” Vermillion sounded relieved. “You’re alright! I sensed other vampires in the area and came here as fast as I…” He paused when he saw that Jack’s rifle was still raised. “Oh.”

Jack scowled, but said nothing. A mechanical voice buzzed in his head: _Do not forget, Morrison. Vampires are not humans._ Not humans, but Vermillion didn’t seem quite monster, either, as a crestfallen expression fell across his face and his shoulders slumped.

“Jack…”

“Don’t call me that.”

A wince.

“Alright. If you want to kill me... I get it. I'm a vampire, right?" He hesitated, waited for a response from Jack, received none. "Look, I... I understand. And I don't you blame you for it, you know. But, Ja- ... just... Just hear me out, ok? You probably won't believe me, and if you don't, then you can kill me - at least you'll be the one to do it. But I just need you to listen to me. Please."

"You're right: I won't believe you," growled Jack. "So why bother?"

"I just need to know I tried, I guess."

He grimaced, but didn't stop Vermillion as he continued, shrugging his wide shoulders miserably; Jack noticed his eyes weren’t as bright now, more of a gentle ember than a flame.

"I know you think that I'm a monster now - that all vampires are monsters - but that's not the truth. I might be a vampire, sure, but that doesn't mean I'm evil. That doesn't mean I can't still be  _me_." He shook his head. "Why do you think that I've never tried to hurt you? You know I could have, and I didn't. Maybe you won't listen to what I say, but you're not stupid - stubborn, but not stupid. You know something's not right - that's why you haven't just killed me yet, isn't it?"

It wasn't something he'd ever admit, but Jack knew Vermillion had a point. He  _had_ wondered about Vermillion's strange behaviour, and he  _was_ unable to just kill him - there was something that kept holding him back. And while Vermillion was talking, Jack needed to ask, needed an answer to the question that troubled him most, that continued to elude him, over and over, keeping him awake at night and staying his finger at the trigger time and again.

“Why do you keep protecting me?" He blurted suddenly. "These recent attacks, sparing me when you could have just killed me, even saving my life…Why?”

Vermillion bit his lip for a moment. He seemed sad, and when he spoke, he sounded tired. “Because I still remember you. Even after all these years, I never forgot you, Jack.”

“I told you not to call me that.”

As though he hadn't heard, Vermillion went on. “I never forgot about you. About _us_. I guess I hoped you hadn’t forgotten about me, either.”

Jack felt a sudden anger stir in him, and he gripped his rifle tightly. “There’s no _us_. I never forgot about _Gabriel_ , but you… you’re not him!  _Gabriel is dead!_ ”

Vermillion recoiled as though he’d been hit. Jack’s mind shot him back six years ago, to Gabriel standing in the kitchen, the hurt on his face at Jack’s anger. Then quickly, his hurt steeled over, his expression turning dark. He took a step forward. Jack raised his rifle higher, threatening, but something in him knew he wouldn’t shoot – couldn’t. Vermillion knew it, too. He kept walking, step by careful step, until he stood right in front of Jack, close enough that he could hear each breath. Almost involuntarily, Jack lowered his rifle, but held his ground, refused to lean away.

“Look at me, Jack,” Vermillion murmured softly, sadly. “Look past the eyes, past the fangs, and tell me I’m not the man you once _loved_.”

Jack looked. At first the smouldering embers of those dark eyes were all he saw, but then his gaze wandered over the strong, arching brows, the noble curve of his nose, his strong cheeks, the familiar scars, the wide jaw, his full lips, every perfect detail that his fingers had traced thousands of times, in quiet, intimate moments, back when their lives had been all-but-perfect. A hand crept over his own, removed it from the trigger of his rifle, lifted it and placed the palm against Vermillion’s chest. He felt his heartbeat, strong and rhythmic, and remembered lying together, feeling that steady beat as they curled up against one another, felt the same warmth that had comforted him on so many nights. His hand wandered, roamed up the powerful neck and along every feature of the face Jack knew so well. In his mind, he saw the face he’d seen six years ago. The once rich, brown eyes now burned with a new, unfamiliar colour, but the warmth in them was the same. Jack’s breath caught sharply in his throat.

“I… It can’t… you were _turned_ …”

His hand rested on Vermillion’s jaw, and the vampire placed his own hand over it, held him there. The heat of the touch was calming, reassuring, beating down his confusion piece by piece.

Vermillion’s voice was quiet when he spoke. “I hated what I’d been turned into. I promised myself that I wouldn’t become a monster, that I wouldn’t lose who I was, and I haven’t. I’ve never hurt anyone since I became this.”

“But… the attacks…”

He shook his head gently. “Not me. When I heard about the increased attacks, I started investigating, to find out what was behind it. I learnt about a vampire named Talon, an alpha far more powerful than any other I'd faced, and I've been tracking him ever since. Those sightings? Attacks I turned up too late to prevent. Now with the attacks here, I'm starting to worry that he found me before I could find him, and that he might be targeting you to get to me.”

“Then you really were trying to help, all this time…” Jack frowned, lowered his hand - Vermillion seemed wistful at the broken contact.

He wanted to believe what Vermillion was saying, wanted to believe that the man he had sworn his heart to still, somehow, existed, but how could he? How could he trust the words of a creature he had hated for so long? That seemed wrong - Vermillion wasn't a creature. A vampire, but not a monster. At least, that’s what Jack was starting to hope, slowly beginning to believe. He just needed to be sure.

Jack reached down to his belt and unsheathed his silver dagger, lifting it so that Vermillion could see it. The vampire’s expression fell yet again; Jack could still see Gabriel’s face, had still merged the two images in his mind, and as a result, the expression nearly broke his heart all over again.

“I… understand. Kill me, if that’s what you want. At least you’ll be the one to do it.” Vermillion sighed. “Just… please, Jack, stay safe… Get back to Nightwatch and warn them about Talon. Don’t let him get you. Please.”

He shut his eyes, waited. Jack set his rifle quietly down against his leg, and raised an open palm in front of them, in the narrow space between human and vampire. In one quick movement, he ran the dagger’s edge across his palm, winced, felt warmth pooling against his skin, hot and sticky. The rich red liquid seeped lazily from the wound, tracing the contours of his palm. He heard Vermillion draw in a breath, and glanced up to see the vampire watching the blood carefully.

This was it. If Vermillion was really a cold-blooded monster trying to trick him, this would prove it; the madness would overtake him, and Vermillion would attack. But if Vermillion really meant what he’d said about not wanting to hurt people, about not losing himself, he would fight it, would resist, and hopefully, would succeed.

Vermillion slowly raised a trembling hand to Jack’s wounded palm, let it hover over his fingers. His breathing was slow, strained, and his eyes were wide. Jack kept his grip on the dagger tight, arm tensed, ready to strike at a moment’s notice, trying to play out the fight in his mind and falling short of whether he could actually bring himself to kill Vermillion, if it came to that. Then Vermillion placed his hand over Jack’s fingers, and closed them over the wound.

Jack released the air he hadn’t realised he’d been holding, and Vermillion looked up at him, eyes sad, shoulders slumped with the weight of the world. It was true. Vermillion wasn’t a monster at all; he was good. Everything he had told them, about hunting vampires, about protecting people, all those times he had saved Jack – all of it was true. Jack had been wrong from the very start. All the years hunting him, cursing him, hating him… he had been so blinded by his grief and anger. Now it all made sense, fell together neatly in one place, at one single result: Vermillion wasn’t a monster at all.

The vampire released him and turned away, striding back towards the door.

Jack fumbled to find his voice. “Wait! Vermillion!” The vampire didn’t stop. “Gabriel!”

He froze, shoulders tensing. There was a pause. Jack fought for words.

“I… I’m sorry… Gabriel.”

Gabriel turned his head to glance at him over his shoulder. His voice was soft, tired, but something in it, faintly, almost struck Jack as content, maybe relieved. Maybe even happy. “I'm sorry, too, Jack."

Then he vanished into shadow, and was gone.


	6. Second Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years ago, London, in the crypts below an abandoned church. The aftermath of a failed hunt.

The last feral fell to the marble floor with a sickly crunch. All around him, bodies lay scattered and twisted, the skin already turning to ash. A few stray arrows were strewn across the ground between them. The altar room was uncomfortably cold and dank. The smell of fear and blood hung thickly in the dusty air, making breathing difficult – or at the very least, unpleasant. He tried to ignore it.

Instead, he turned his gaze to the kid. A hunter, no doubt, and a good one; it wasn’t just anyone that ran around with a silver sword and could sneak up on a den this large. He and his brother were well-trained, and highly experienced. This time, though, they just hadn’t been good enough. He scowled, pulling back the shadow of his hood. Red eyes flickered in the candlelight.

Gabriel had expected to find the alpha here. The fact that he wasn’t was a bad sign, and now, without his coven, he’d be royally pissed off. It made Gabriel’s job a good bit harder; trying to track down an angry alpha in a city he was unfamiliar with was no walk in the park. A problem to be solved tomorrow. Sighing, he knelt by the kid, checking him over. Out cold, but no clear injuries. Maybe the feral just knocked him out. His scowl fell into a grimace.

“Kid,” he barked, reaching out to shake his shoulder. “Hey, kid!”

What had his brother yelled? Genji? Could be a name – not like he had anything else to go by.

“Genji?” he tried again. “Hey, Genji, you hear me?”

The grimace deepened. He tilted the kid’s head to one side, trying to get a better view of his neck. There: two small puncture wounds, deep, bloodied. “Shit,” he muttered. Looks like he hadn’t reached the kid in time; Gabriel could blame the sharp-shooting brother for that. Leaning down, he peered at the wound, and noticed that, beneath the blood, the pale skin was beginning to turn dark and bruised. Venom. “Shit.”

Feral venom was tricky stuff. Victims that weren’t drained dry usually only had two options: the venom would poison and kill them, or it would turn the victim feral as well. Even death was better than becoming a mindless feral hell-bent on drinking the blood of anything in sight, without a scrap of humanity left. And that could be the path poor Genji was headed down. Unless.

Gabriel ran his fingers across his lips. He’d done it once, and would be able to do it again, if he was careful. Genji likely wouldn’t be happy about it, but it was better than becoming a feral. Anything was better than becoming a damn feral. With a heavy sigh, he leant over Genji, drew in a breath – damn, his blood smelled sweet – curled back his lip to reveal a pair of terrifyingly sharp canine teeth. Steady, just a quick nip, nothing more. Careful, controlled. He bit deep into Genji’s soft neck, widening the two punctures already there. There was a brief and bitter taste of feral venom, then his senses were flooded with the taste of blood, sweet and metallic. His control wavered for a second as instincts begged him to drink the warm liquid in, then he was tearing himself away, reeling back, gasping and clutching his hand to his mouth. _Get it under control_. _Get your senses back_. _Breathe_. He tried to forget the smell, the taste, the warmth. _No, you’re not like the others, remember? You’re not one of them_. He shuddered. Wiped the residual blood and saliva from his lips.

When he had brought his instincts back under control, he pushed himself up, moved back across to Genji’s side. He avoided looking at the neck and the fresh wounds, at the skin that turned painfully red where it had previously been purple, and instead looked at his face, which had contorted into a frown. The kids eyes twitched, scrunched, his lips moved, then he gave a sudden gasp and his eyes flew wide open.

“ _Hanzo!_ ” he shouted, his whole body going rigid. When he saw the vampire leaning half over him, his eyes widened further. “You… you… _Where is my brother?!_ ”

Gabriel leaned back a little. “Hey, take it easy, kid. You got bitten…”

“ _Where is my brother?!_ ”

“He got out. He’s safe.”

Genji’s eyes narrowed, suspicious, but still afraid. “What have you done to me?” His hand moved to his neck, and there was an audible catching of breath in his throat as he felt the punctures. “ _You bit me._ ”

“Well, the feral bit you first…”

“ _What have you done to me?!_ ” Genji roared. He tried to sit up, tried to lunge for the vampire hovering over him, but he jerked back with a sharp yell.

“I told you to take it easy!” Gabriel frowned. “Look, you’re gonna turn into a vampire, sorry about that.” He saw Genji’s eyes widened even further, terrified. “The next 24 hours is gonna be hell, but you’re gonna keep your mind – trust me, that’s better than the alternative. You just gotta hang in there.”

The kid’s body began to tremble, and he cried out in pain. His veins would be blazing, his skin would feel like it was being peeled off the muscle, his whole body would be trying to reject the venom. ‘Hell’ put it lightly. Gabriel knew. The shuddering through Genji’s frame intensified.

“No… No!” He struggled, tried to writhe, but his limbs wouldn’t obey him. “ _NO!_ ”

He cried out again as a particular vigorous tremor ran through him, then, finally, he went limp, collapsing back against the floor, unconscious. Gabriel sighed. Better get him somewhere safe to wait it out. It would be a long 24 hours, and when Genji woke up, there’d be one hell of a conversation to have. Gabriel wasn’t looking forward to that.

“You’ve done it again,” he said to himself. “Got yourself another family member. Well done.”

He huffed, lifted Genji from the floor as if he was no lighter than a child, and slipped away into the shadows.

 

\-----

 

When Genji awoke from the most horrific dream of his life, he had no idea where he was. The candlelight and marble walls were gone, as was the bitter cold of the crypts. The roof over him was steel, the lights bright and modern. He was lying on something soft. Where he was and how he had gotten there, however, was not his first concern. His whole body felt strange; his heartbeat was remarkably faint, and his skin, when he raised one hand to feel his cheek, was cold and leathery to the touch. He could smell the steel of the roof and walls, the fabric of the bed he lay on, and could see the particles of dust swirling in the air above him. In another room, he could hear a television. How had his senses become so sharp? He shut his eyes, and tried to think back.

To a dream that was really a memory. The crypts. Hanzo’s yelling. The sharp, burning fangs in his neck. Falling unconscious. The gleaming vermillion eyes of a vampire.

The vampire. The one who had bit him.

Genji felt a rush of anger through him. More lightly than he had ever moved before, he slid from the bed. Hardened, strengthened muscles carried him without a sound to a narrow doorway. Every sense felt trigger-happy, ready to let fly at a moment’s notice. That would explain why his body felt so different, so _improved;_  He was a vampire now. The thought, at first, made him physically sick. Secondly, it made him angry, filled him with a rage so scalding hot that his skin burned. He would kill the creature that had done this to him; he would avenge his life, and then take it – kill himself, and put an end to the monster to this inhuman existence.

He reached behind him for his sword, and found it missing - damn. It made sense that the vampire wouldn’t keep anything silver in his den, which appeared to be little more than an old garage. No matter; Genji would simply have to kill him with his bare hands, no matter how hard it might be. And if he got himself killed, fine. He’d give the other vampire a damn good fight before he went.

The creature in question was seated at a couch in front of the television; a game of soccer was playing on the screen. If he smelled Genji, or heard him, he showed no sign of it, and as Genji circled the couch on soundless, impeccably balanced feet, he saw the vampire’s eyes were shut. Sleeping? Genji had always wondered if vampires slept. He studied the strong jaw, the soft features, the full lips; Genji would almost call him handsome, for a monster. Carefully, he advanced, thankful that his muscles felt so ready now. He could rush forward, grab the vampire’s head in his strengthened hands, snap the neck, and be done with him. Before he could put the plan to action, however, the vampire’s eyes opened. A faint, red gleam peered at him.

“You’re up,” the vampire said, not even sounding surprised. “That’s quick. You only stopped screaming a couple hours ago.”

Genji felt the anger rising up in his throat, bubbling out as biting words, no time for side-stepping. “You… You did this to me – turned me into a _monster_ , like you. You took away everything from me, _everything!_ You couldn’t even let me die! I would have preferred that – death. Instead of becoming _this_.”

The other vampire watched him as he spoke, considered him for a moment before giving a long sigh and leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I get it, kid, you’re mad. Can’t say I blame you. It’s Genji, right? Your brother…”

“What happened to my brother?” Genji interrupted him.

“He got out. I told him to run, took care of the ferals while he escaped.”

That made Genji pause. His eyes narrowed, studying the vampire. “You… helped him? How can you expect me to believe you?”

“Because, and I _know_ you’re not gonna believe me on this one, I’m not like other vampires. I’m like you.”

Genji bristled. “ _Like me?_ How dare you…”

“I hunt vampires.”

A pause. Genji didn’t want to believe this creature, and yet… “We attacked your coven.”

“Not my coven.”

“Then you’re…”

“Not their alpha.”

That explains why the ferals had been so disorganised; their real alpha hadn’t been there. “Then… why were you there? Why would a vampire hunt his own kind?”

The vampire leaned back again. “You and I aren’t so different, you know. I never asked to become this, just like you. I never had any love for vampires – why should I? Bastards took my whole life away, just like they took yours. Like I took yours. I might be a vampire, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it. And it doesn’t mean I can’t go killing other vampires.”

Genji watched him, searching for some hint of a lie. He found none. “Why did you do it? Turn me into… into one of _them_.”

“You’re gonna laugh, but I did it so save you.” He shook his head. “Listen, a feral got to you before I could get in there and help. Thank your brother for that. If I hadn’t bitten you, you might’ve turned feral, and I wasn’t gonna let that happen.”

“I don’t understand.”

The vampire cocked an eyebrow. “I’m an alpha. You’re a vampire hunter, you should know this stuff, right? A feral’s venom is unpredictable and unrefined; it’ll either kill you, or turn you into one of them: a mindless bloodsucker. An alpha vampire’s venom is strong enough to create high-functioning vampires, the sort that can become alphas. Beta vampires, right? Still a vamp, but you get to keep your mind, at least.”

So that’s why. Despite himself, Genji admitted that it was starting to make sense. Even so, that didn’t make it any better. That didn’t make it any easier, either, as he realised what it meant. He was a vampire now. He had become everything he had been taught and trained to despise, to hate, to kill. He had become a creature that would murder innocents and drain the blood from their bodies. His stomach rolled. He felt faint. He felt angry.

His eyes flicked to the garage door, and the light creeping through underneath it. Genji started walking towards it.

The vampire sat up. “Hey, Genji, where are you going? Come back here!”

He thought he felt something tug on him, and glanced back; the other vampire was still on the couch. “I will expose myself. A hunter will kill me, and then they will kill you.”

“Genji, I can’t let you do that!” He’d gotten up now, scrambling awkwardly around the couch. “Stop!”

Another tug; this time, Genji paused. “It’s the only option. I cannot live like this.”

“Listen to me, Genji,” the other vampire sounded serious now, his voice carrying an authority Genji hadn’t noticed before. “I can’t let you do this. This is the last time I’m gonna say it.”

“This is what I must do.” He started walking again, was almost at the door.

“Then you don’t leave me much of a choice. Sorry to do this to you, kid…”

A flash through his mind. Genji’s body was suddenly no longer his to control. He gave a cry of alarm at the sensation of it, of feeling his limbs freeze, and his mind suddenly go blank. He could do nothing, think nothing. He felt himself falling away from his body, felt someone else step inside, take the controls, turn him around. It was a terrifying realisation: he was a puppet on a string. His previous conviction left him in a rush, and he found himself slumped on the ground, exhausted. Then his body was his own again; it had only lasted a moment, but in the aftermath a thick haze seemed to fill his mind, clearing slowly, unwillingly, dulling his thoughts.

“Sorry about that, kid,” the alpha said, sounding as exhausted as Genji felt. “I just couldn’t let you do it. Not just yet.”

It took a moment before Genji could remember how to speak. “You… controlled me?”

A long sigh. “An alpha can control their coven if he has to, but let me tell you, it’s a serious drain of energy.” The vampire approached him, reaching out to rest a hand – surprisingly gentle – on his shoulder. “Look, Genji, I can’t make you human again. You’re a vampire, there’s no changing that, and I can’t really say anything to make it better. But listen, I can give you a purpose for your new life. Help me do what you’ve always done: hunt down and kill vampires.”

Genji looked up, and met the vermillion eyes of the alpha. They were soft, sad, warm.

“Who are you?”

The vampire huffed. “My name is Gabriel. Until I got turned four years ago, I was a captain in the U.S military. Lived a pretty decent life. Had its ugly moments, but plenty of good ones, too.”

He knelt down in front of Genji, and there was a weariness on his expression that Genji wouldn’t have expected to see – it was more human than he had thought a vampire could be. Though, when he thought about it, it wasn’t that Genji no longer _felt_ human, not in his heart. His emotions, his memories, his feelings – they were the same as they ever were. Only his body had changed.

Gabriel continued, looking at the floor. “One day some alpha caught sight of me, decided he liked the look of me. He started following me around; I’d caught glimpses of him, flashes of red eyes and white teeth, but he never attacked. Just watched, followed – it was creepy as hell. Nearly drove me mad, too. In the end, I turned around and confronted him. Told him to just kill me already, if that’s what he wanted. Guess I thought I could fight him off, if it came down to it.” Gabriel shrugged. “The vampire said he didn’t want me dead, he wanted me part of the coven, wanted to make me a vampire. Of course, I told him to go fuck himself.”

He paused. When he spoke again, his voice wavered a little. “I had a partner at the time. Someone I loved more than anything. The vampire threatened to hurt them if I didn’t do as he said. I… I couldn’t…”

“You would have done anything to protect them,” Genji finished, “even give up your own life.”

Gabriel looked up at him, a little surprised, and nodded. “Guess so. Turning was a nightmare, but what came after was worse. The alpha took me out into some back alleys, cornered a couple of kids and told me to kill them.”

Genji bristled. So he was looking at a killer, then. A monster after all. Gabriel must have caught the look in his eyes; he shook his head with a grunt.

“Gimme a little credit, kid. No way was I hurting innocents – saw too much of that shit when I was in the army, but this, this was even worse. The alpha got mad when I wouldn’t do it, and we fought. I killed him. Killed the rest of the coven, too. Realised that maybe being a vampire didn’t mean I had to kill people – hell, maybe I could go killing vampires instead. So I did.” Another shrug. “Every vampire I kill… I figure I’m one step closer to making sure that what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else. It’s not about redeeming myself, it’s about protecting people. That’s what I’ve been trained to do.”

“And your partner?” Genji surprised even himself with the question. Even more surprising was the pang of sympathy he felt for Gabriel, for a vampire. And yet he felt it, raw and real, getting stronger with every word.

The question must have hit on something Gabriel would have preferred to keep hidden; a terrible sorrow flashed across his face, and his eyes darkened. “I… I don’t think they recognised me.”

“Oh.” Genji looked awkwardly down at his feet. “I’m… sorry.”

He heard Gabriel rise, looked up again to see a hand extended towards him; Genji took it, and let himself be helped to his feet.

“So, Genji,” Gabriel began again, eyeing him. “I’m offering you the chance to continue doing the work you’ve always done: hunting vampires. We don’t hurt humans, we keep out of sight, and we take down every coven that causes trouble. What do you say?”

Genji met his gaze, studied him. Wondered what Hanzo or his father would make of this situation.

“If it means getting to kill a few more vampires… I guess I’m in. For now.”

Gabriel grinned and clapped a hand against his shoulder. His eyes glinted faintly with a vermillion shine. “Then welcome to the coven, beta.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more Gabe back-story!! Yay! Wanted to go back and explain a little about how Genji got turned into a vampire, as well as giving you guys a bit of info from Gabe's perspective about how he got turned.  
> I'm still getting hits on this fic but not as many kudos or comments, so I'm starting to worry that readers aren't enjoying it very much. I'm gonna keep working on it, cus hell, at least I like the story and I've got a whole lot of chapters planned, but might not update as frequently if people aren't keen. Idk having a bit of a writer's crisis. Anyway.  
> To those of you still reading, next chapter is probably gonna have some follow-up Jack/Gabriel fluff from chapter 5 - and hell, maybe even some smut, who knows? (answer: I know, but I'm not gonna say it here cus spoilers??) Anyway, hope you guys that are still reading this are liking it, and if not, let me know what you want to see more of! Please??


	7. Turning the Tide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A debt is paid, and a rift begins to seal.

By the time Hanzo returned to the office, Jack had already cleaned up most of the mess from the vampire attack. A good dousing with holy water had reduced the corpses to piles of foul-smelling ash, which could be quickly swept-up and removed. At least there was one easy part to getting rid of vampires.

He explained the attack to Hanzo, carefully omitting Vermil- Gabriel’s, interference, inquired as to the success of Hanzo’s tea-hunt and was shown a small, sealed box in reply. At least there was one successful hunt under their belts. Their _only_ successful hunt. In his mind, the creature that he had convinced himself was Vermillion was rapidly reshaping itself, reverting back to the Gabriel he loved, cherished, missed so badly it nearly drove him mad. Part of him revolted at the idea – an image that took six years to build wasn’t easily toppled – but his desperation to have Gabriel back, his eagerness to seize even the faintest hope of going back to the life they had, fought with inhuman ferocity to tear it apart, rip away every last shred of A02VRML and restore Gabriel Reyes. And Jack wanted it to.

How easy it would be to close his eyes and throw himself into the arms of this memory, this meticulously reconstructed image, and forget that the past six years had ever happened. But so many years of heartache took their toll, and Jack was no longer the sort of man to run blindly into anything.

As Hanzo tucked his box of what Jack presumed was tea back into his pouch, he noticed a deep frown lingering on the man’s features and a tension in his shoulders – wrestling with demons of his own. He had seemed unsettled ever since yesterday’s ambush, but had offered only mumbled excuses when Jack pressed him. In turn, Hanzo mentioned nothing of Jack’s own behaviour, and the two men parted to their respective rooms, to sleepless nights where they would grapple with demons, with puppets pulled along on heartstrings dancing through their heads.

As he lay on the stiff, creaking bed, one thing Jack knew was that the hunt couldn’t continue. He knew he could never harm Gabriel, not after he had _seen_ the man he’d always known behind Vermillion’s eyes. But where did that leave him? What did he do next?

He could return to Nightwatch, find himself a new hunt, force himself to forget about Gabriel - even as he thought it, he realised it would be pointless. His alternative? Stay in the office, and work with Gabriel? Help him hunt vampires, track down this creature known as Talon? A human and vampire, allied together? Maybe, just maybe, he could begin repairing what he’d spent so many years destroying. He and Gabriel, together once again. Maybe even lovers again. At the thought, his body burned with a painful longing.

God, how he missed it. Nights they used to spend tangled up in one another, their bodies rocking in unison, their breathing harsh and ragged, their pulses wild. The feel of that perfect, smooth muscle against him, of strong, full lips roaming over every inch of his skin, whispered Spanish in his ear chased by hungry growls. The wonderful sensation of his lover intertwined with him, _inside_ him, two beings fused into one in the throes of raw passion. He hadn’t realised he was fondling himself until it was too late; he gasped as a wet warmth spilled over his hand and onto the sheets. Damn it. Looks like he’d be sleeping on the couch tonight.

 

The next morning Jack stood stiff and bleary-eyed, glumly watching his sheets spin in the old washing machine tucked into the corner of the building’s communal bathroom. White material danced, flipped, and somersaulted within the machine’s belly, mirroring Jack’s swirling thoughts. Around and around, Gabriel to Vermillion, Vermillion to Gabriel, lover to enemy, enemy to lover. Stay, leave, stay, leave.

It was 8am when he sat himself down with a grunt behind his desk with a mug of coffee in one hand and his face in the other. He was too old to be doubting and questioning himself like this, to wrestle with indecision. Too tired and worn-out.

The swish of soft-soled shoes against floorboards alerted him to Hanzo’s arrival, and he lifted his head. At least that was one problem he could deal with.

Hanzo scowled at him. “You look terrible.”

“Thanks,” huffed Jack. “Bad night’s sleep. Again.” He leaned back in his seat. “Listen, Hanzo, I need to talk to you about the hunt.”

A twitch in Hanzo’s expression, unreadable to Jack. He gave a hum, looked at the floor. “Yes?”

“I’m calling it off.”

Hanzo looked up, surprised. He usually kept his emotions so carefully concealed – to let himself slip meant that he must be more unsettled than Jack had thought.

“What? Why?”

“Nightwatch HQ has called me back,” Jack lied. “A new target has turned up. You’ll head back to Japan by the end of the week. Understood?”

How else could he ensure that Hanzo didn’t pose a risk to Gabriel? The hunter was ruthless, highly experienced; if he stayed in the city, it was only a matter of time before he slipped out of Jack’s watch, went after Gabriel, and maybe even killed him. Hanzo had his own motivations, after all – though Jack guessed that they were as inaccurate as his own.

“But… my brother…” He seemed to catch himself. “Vermillion…”

“I know.” Jack eyed him. There was something going on in Hanzo’s head, but Jack doubted he’d have any hope of finding out what. “After my reports, my commander has decided that eliminating him can wait.”

Hanzo’s gaze narrowed on him, suspicious. Starting to see through the lies, trying to piece together the truth. Before he could, Jack’s comm blipped.

The sound had never made him so glad. He reached for it, raised it to his ear, and clicked the receiver.

“Reporting.”

“ _Morrison_.” Adawe sounded as stern as ever. “ _Vampire activity in your area. We need you to look into it._ ”

“Vermillion?”

“ _Possibly. We don’t have much detail. I’ll send you the location._ ”

“On it.” Another blip, and the line went silent. A moment later, his phone lit up. He looked over at Hanzo. “Looks like we get one last chase. With me?”

Hanzo nodded.

 

\-----

 

“You’ve been lookin’ damn miserable all night. You ain’t hurt or nothin’, are you?”

Gabriel grimaced. “I’m not _miserable_. You’re just chirpy cus that hunter’s stopped trying to shoot an arrow in your ass.”

Next to him, Jesse pulled a suggestive smirk and wriggled his thick brows. “ _Ohh?_ You gonna tell me there ain’t a hunter on your mind right about now?”

“Shove it, kid. In case you forgot, we’ve got a job to do.”

Jesse had hit the mark, and they both knew it. All Gabriel had thought about all night and all morning was one single man: Jack Morrison. The man that had made him glum for a night, driven him mad for a week, and left him heartbroken and hollow for six damn years, now finally - possibly - back in his life again, against all odds. Memories of the previous night played like the most wonderful broken record through his mind - Jack finally saying his name, for the first time since he'd been turned. The sound of it, of his rough voice, the faintest whisper of hope he had heard beneath the rasping tone. The gentle, hesitant touch of his hand against his cheek. The familiar warmth of the man he loved and had gone too long without. The wave of joy it brought, and the terrible heartache crashing over him like a tidal wave, washing everything else away.

He sighed.

“See?" said Jesse. "Damn miserable."

Gabriel punched him in the shoulder – none too gently – and continued his way along the shadowed side-street. He’d given up hope a long time ago of Jack ever seeing him as anything other than a monster, but now, after last night… Ever so hesitantly, that hope was starting to creep back, tapping him on the shoulder, tempting him back into old thoughts of reunion. Creeping back with it, however, was a gut-wrenching, heart-stopping fear. He'd lost Jack once, and it had nearly killed him. He doubted he’d survive a second round of heartbreak.

With a grunt, Jesse hurried to catch up to him, and they crept together to the alleyway corner, peering out into the fledgling daylight. They were in a section of the old industrial district that had once been dominated by auto-repair businesses and old factories. The street was bare save for a single, worse-for-wear truck parked poorly along the curb.

“Got a bad feeling ‘bout this,” Jesse muttered, standing just behind Gabriel. “Dunno what, but something ain’t right.”

He didn’t want to admit it, but Gabriel was starting to get the same feeling. Vampires in old factories and warehouses wasn’t anything new, but the truck was. It made no sense for a coven to have a whole truck – as far as Gabriel had heard, this particular coven wasn’t even very big. Genji had spotted them a couple of nights ago, but since then they’d been lying low, keeping themselves out of trouble, and Gabriel had hoped they were just travelling through. Then suddenly, that morning, they’d intercepted a police report of commotion in the area and an attempted attack. And now the truck. To Gabriel, it wasn’t quite adding up.

That, combined with his suspicions about Talon having managed to track him down, gave him a very bad feeling indeed. Though they'd never met face-to-face, Gabriel knew his efforts to stop Talon hadn't gone unnoticed - now, he suspected, Talon was trying to eliminate the pest that had been bothering him. Was this some plan of his, then? If it was, they needed to be especially careful.

“Stick close, stay quiet,” Gabriel told Jesse, his voice hushed. “We’ll go in, scope it out, find out what’s going on. Got it?”

“Got it.”

The world fogged over, growing dark, as Gabriel let his body disintegrate, melting into a thick, shadowy smoke. He felt his physical form break down, felt Jesse doing the same alongside him. The street before him became a monochrome painting of sun or shadow, and he let himself travel along the dark patches around the corner to the factory’s side, and through one of the broken windows. Once inside, he brought his frayed particles back together, rematerialised. A second later and Jesse was beside him again, shuddering.

“Ain’t never gonna get used to that,” he grouched under his breath.

Gabriel scanned the building. The windows were covered in such a thick layer of dust that very little light could get through, but for a vampire, low-light was no issue. It was an old, long-abandoned factory, scattered with dust-laden machines and dormant conveyor belts. Cobwebs hung from metal pipes and rat-chewed wires. Particles of dust fluttered through the air, tickling his nose. He wrinkled it, scowling, and stepped forward. The centre of the factory floor was bare, empty of machinery, but something else occupied the space, a heap or pile of some sort...

He drew in a sharp breath. Bodies, hunched over on the ground. Two or three, limbs bent at unnatural angles, eyes open, mouths twisted in pain to reveal their sharp teeth, gaping, bloody wounds in their chests.

“Fuck…” he breathed.

A slam and a groan, and the factory was filled with fluorescent light, making Gabriel wince. He whirled to face Jesse, hissing.

“ _Get out of here!_ ”

A moment’s hesitation flashed across Jesse’s face, but the urgency in Gabriel's tone wasn't to be argued with, and he hurriedly shadowed away, back through the window, hopefully to find help.

He turned around, squinting against the bright light.

“Who’s there?” Nothing. No sound, no movement. “Show yourselves!”

A rattle above him. A heavy weight crashed down on him, knocking him to the ground. Cold metal burned against his skin where it touched him – _silver!_ He writhed, trying to scramble away, but the weight seemed to pin him, holding him down, like a net of some sort. Turning his head, he studied a section of the net dangling dangerously close to his face - it was made of silver-reinforced metal chain. So long as it was touching him, he would be unable to shadow himself away.

Laughter. Gabriel looked around, trying to ignore the way the metal made his skin prickle.

“The hell is this?” he shouted.

“What’s it look like, genius?” answered a voice. “A trap!”

Figures emerged from behind the old machines. Eight of them, all men, heavily tattooed, brandishing clubs and knives. Not friendly. Gabriel grimaced.

“Hunters, huh? Haven’t seen you before.”

“We ain’t from around here.” The man who spoke – Gabriel assumed he was the leader – was shaved-headed, with a tattoo of a white skull across his face. “We’re not exactly ‘hunters’, either. More like… mercs, I guess.”

“Oh, yeah? And who hired you?”

Something prodded his shoulder roughly - even through the fabric of his hoodie, Gabriel felt his skin prickle, and guessed the weapon was also made of silver.

“You ask a lotta questions, _vamp_ ,” the second man said.

“Let this net up and try poking me again, _pendejo_ ,” growled Gabriel.

A large hand grabbed at his short hair and yanked his head back roughly. A knife was pressed up against his lips; Gabriel tried to flinch away, unsuccessfully.

“Mouth shut, vampire, or we’ll cut your tongue out!”

A chorus of jeers and snickers. Whoever these guys were, Gabriel got the impression they would carry out their threats, and would enjoy doing it, too. He pressed his lips together tightly and swallowed, nervous. He could be in real trouble here. Even if Jesse managed to get help in time, he and whatever help he found could end up at the mercy of these thugs.

The hand in his hair released him, the knife lifted away, but Gabriel only had a moment of relief before a heavy boot planted itself between his shoulder blades and pressed down, crushing him between it and the floor; he felt pressure on his lungs, cool cement against his cheek, and grunted.

“Good vamp,” the leader cooed. “Do as your told, and we’ll consider making this as clean as we can.” Another round of laughter. “Who hires us is our business. Killing vamps, killing hunters, anything for the right price.” Gabriel was able to glance up just enough to see the man lean over him, smirking. “Killing vampires _and_ hunters in the same job, though – don’t get to do that every day.”

Hunters? But who else…

Jack. They'd been hired to kill him _and_ Jack. Gabriel’s eyes widened. “No, don’t…”

The weight on his back increased, and he cried out, feeling his ribs bruise.

The leader clicked his tongue. “Tsk, tsk, we told you to keep your mouth shut.” He knelt down in front of him, holding out one hand to the owner of the heavy boot. “Gimme that knife, would ya?”

Panic bloomed through him, stronger than the pain. He tried to struggle, but between the net and the weight on his back, he couldn’t free himself. With the silver restricting his power, he was as good as helpless. And that’s what terrified him. Jesse, Genji, _Jack_ … he could no longer protect them.

Through the netting, fingers reached for him and he pulled away, snarling.

“ _No!_ Get away from me!”

The leader laughed, grabbed him by the chin, trying to force his thumb into Gabriel’s mouth. “Sh, sh, just open up, would ya?” He raised the knife and waved it. “Bet you’ll shut up when I’ve got a knife down your throat, eh?”

“ _NO!_ ”

He panicked, trying to writhe beneath the net, oblivious to the burns the silver left against his skin, but the weight over him was still too great. The leader of the hunters smirked wickedly, drawing the knife back, ready to strike.

Before he could, there was a loud crash, and the spatter of gunfire. Ear-splitting whistles and _twangs_ as bullets ricocheted off the cement on either side of him. The man in front of him fell back, crying out in alarm. The weight on top of him eased abruptly, and there was a loud thud on the ground beside him. More gunfire, shouts cut short and pained cries. Gabriel lifted his head as much as he could with the net's burning weight on him, and looked around frantically.

He caught a glimpse of a man darting between rusted pipes, flashes from a rifle, a streak of pale blonde hair. Jack!

Gabriel could have cried with relief. Two more of the thugs were shot down by the assault rifle’s blasts, silver bullets working just as well on humans as they did on vampires. The remaining thugs, seeing the fight was lost, tried to run. A few more shots, and one hit the ground right in front of Gabriel, part of their cheek ripped open by the ammunition, bloody teeth visible in the gap. Outside the factory, he heard a few frantic yells followed by the motor of a truck roaring to life and the screech of tyres, the engine growling away down the street. Then quiet.

“Gabriel!”

He craned his neck to peer over the body in front of him - Jack was rushing towards him, eyes wide and bright with worry.

“That was some damn good timing, Jack,” Gabriel said with a relieved smile. “How did you…?”

“Got a report about vampire activity here,” explained Jack, kneeling down by him. “Heard your voice when I got close.” He frowned. “Are you hurt?”

Gabriel shook his head, winced as silver brushed his cheek. “Nothing bad. Just need this net off me.”

Jack hurried to drag the net away, muttering apologies at Gabriel's pained grunts and hisses, tossing it aside before lowering himself down by Gabriel again. He made to extend a hand out to him, to help him up, but hesitated, stopped himself. Trying to stifle his disappointment, Gabriel shifted onto his knees so that they were at eye-level with one another. Of course Jack still wouldn’t trust him – he was a fool to be surprised. Even if Jack didn’t trust him, however, he’d still put himself at risk to get Gabriel out of trouble, and that was more than he would have expected. More than he could have asked for, considering how their last few meetings had gone.

“Jack… Thank you, for saving me.” Gabriel risked a glance up at him, but Jack wouldn’t meet his gaze.

“Just paying back the favour,” he said with a shrug. “You saved my life, now I’ve saved yours.”

Gabriel felt his heart begin to spiral down into his gut. “Oh, right…”

At his defeated tone, Jack looked up, a little taken aback. He moved his hand up, as though wanting to reach out once more, but hesitated again, frowned. Struggled with something internal. Gabriel knew he shouldn’t, knew it could just drive Jack away, but he was so keen to feel his warmth again, to feel his touch… He reached out to gently take Jack’s hand in his own, winding their fingers together. Jack stiffened, but didn’t pull away.

“Gabriel…”

“You’re using my name again.”

Jack blinked. “I… I guess…” He looked away.

“You were never great at talking about how you felt.”

“You seemed to know anyway.”

“Back then, I could read you like a book.” He frowned. “These days it’s a little harder.”

They were silent for a while, letting unspoken thoughts hang between them like a mist, making the distance feel endlessly long. But their hands were still together, a little worn and calloused, yet at the same time soft and comforting, anchoring them, preventing them from being tugged away into the fog.

It took Gabriel a moment to steel his nerves enough to speak again.

“I’ve missed you,” he said, gently.

A flutter of a frown. Jack glanced away. Gabriel could almost see him fumbling for his words, trying to sort out what he wanted to say, how he should say it. His shoulders tensed, he closed his eyes, gave a great sigh. He slumped, exhausted, opened his blue eyes to look straight at Gabriel. There was something in them that was almost lost, despairing, something thrown to the wind – whatever war he was waging in his head, he was losing. Whatever had been holding him back was suddenly thrown wide open, and a flood of emotion washed out.

“I’ve missed you so much, Gabe,” Jack said finally, voice rasping, words coming out in a choked rush. “God, I’ve missed you so much it drove me mad. Every day, _every damn day_ , I’ve missed you. Your voice, your smile, your laugh, that look you get in your eyes when you find something funny.” He swallowed. “I’ve missed the _feel_ of you. The way your arms felt around me. Damn, the way you kissed me – I’ve missed that, too.” A twitch over his skin, and when he spoke next, his voice was low. “You were my whole damn world, Gabriel. When I thought I’d lost you… Fuck, that was like losing everything. Like I lost myself, lost everything I lived for. I didn’t think I could have a reason to live without you, so I tried to find something, grabbed onto anything, and it ended up being anger – I was angry that I’d lost you, that I hadn’t been able to keep you safe. I hated _myself_ for letting you get hurt, Gabriel – so much that I… I couldn’t see that you were still there, right there in front of me, trying to tell me…”

His voice broke away into silence, and he shook his head, closing his eyes again. Each word struck Gabriel like a blow, knocking the wind from his lungs, making his heart stammer, sticking sharp pins of hope into his chest. It was everything he had longed to hear, a moment he had dreamed of over and over again, finally becoming a reality, and it overwhelmed him - painfully but wonderfully. Gabriel wanted to reach out, to wrap Jack up in his arms and hold him, wanted to whisper reassurances into his ear and stroke his back, to cradle every hurt, every tear, everything – but he waited, sensing that Jack wasn’t done yet, that he needed to get this out.

“Gabe, I… I was wrong. I was so damn wrong. I couldn’t deal with having lost you, so I filled myself with anger, with hate, and I was wrong. I was wrong and I nearly killed you because of it…” A sob shook his shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Gabe…”

Then they were together, Gabriel’s strong arms holding Jack’s shuddering frame against him, his face tucked into the nook between Gabriel’s neck and shoulder, trembling arms winding around his waist, unsure at first then desperate, clinging to him. Shaky breaths were muffled against Gabriel’s skin, every quiver was absorbed into his wide chest, and to Gabriel, it felt like he was being made whole again. To take in all the hurt, grief and loss of the man that owned his very soul, after so many years without him – he pressed his lips into Jack’s shoulder, closed his eyes, spread his fingers over Jack’s quivering back.

“I’m so… so sorry… Gabe…”

“Shh, _cariño_ , easy…” Gabriel lifted his head up slightly, tilting his lips towards Jack’s ear. “It’s ok…”

Jack shook his head, buried his face against Gabriel’s neck. “I… I was an idiot… I pushed you away… when you needed me… Oh, Gabe… I’m so sorry…”

His arms tightened around Gabriel, as though he was scared the other man would wisp away and be gone again. Gabriel lifted a hand and ran it through Jack’s hair, resting it on the back of his neck, pulled him in close. _I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere_.

It was difficult to tell how much time had passed before Jack’s shaking had subsided. He went still in Gabriel’s hold, leaning into him, his breathing steady once more. Gabriel’s hand continued to stroke along his back.

“You ok?”

Jack lifted his head a little and nodded. “Yeah… Just…”

“Mmm?” Gabriel felt his chest rumble against Jack’s.

Then Jack leant away, loosening their hold on each other just enough that he could look Gabriel in the eye; Gabriel suddenly felt terribly conscious of the faint, red glimmer Jack would see in them, and nearly looked away, but Jack’s hands cupped his jaw, held him still. His own gaze was deathly serious.

“Just promise me something,” he said, urgent. “Just one thing.”

Gabriel watched him tentatively. "What is it?"

“Six years ago... I turned my back on you. I let you go when I should have held onto you and I... I spent every day since then regretting that, wishing there was some way I could get you back... And now... Now I have you back. After all this time... it really was you in there, all along. I won't.... I can't... hurt you, Gabriel. I can't _hunt_ you. I... I want us to be  _us_ again. I want you to promise me that we can try to go back to that. That from now on, we'll work together,  _be_ together. Promise me that, from now on, you and I will always stay together.”

Gabriel bit his lip. It was every fervent wish granted, every hope fulfilled, but now that he had Jack here in front of him, finally understanding, finally accepting, he hesitated. Oh, how we wanted to make that promise. How he wanted to go back to something like the life they once had, spending every night together wrapped up in one another, to see Jack’s fond smile every morning, to hear him laughing, to have Jack’s shoulder against his, to be whole again. He wanted that more than anything.

But the reality was that he was a vampire now. What if something happened, and he started to lose control? What if he became a risk to Jack? What if being together meant that Jack would be pulled into danger, and maybe hurt or even killed?

Yet the urgency in Jack’s voice, the look in his eyes, the tight set of his lips – it had been too many years of fighting alone, and neither of them could go back to that. Not now that, finally, they had a chance to reclaim what they'd lost. Gabriel realised that whatever faced them, Jack would fight to hold on to it, to make it work. And he would, too.

“Yes,” Gabriel said, barely loud enough to hear himself. “I promise, Jack.”

A wide grin spread across Jack’s face, then their lips were together, warm and strong. They gave themselves in to the connection, kissing fiercely, hungrily, as though trying to make up for the six years they’d lost. They kissed until they couldn’t breathe, and only then did they part for a moment, sucking down air before they joined lips once again. Gabriel’s powerful arms wound around Jack’s back and shoulders, hands cradling his head, holding him against his chest, while Jack’s arms looped around his neck, fingers playing in his hair.

The warmth of lips, the taste of him, the feel of it all – it was so _good_. Gabriel could practically feel Jack breathing life into him, into the shell that had been empty without the love of his life. Together again.

Together, but not the same. Reluctantly, with a struggle, Gabriel pulled away. They paused, catching their breath, Jack watching his mouth wistfully.

“What's wrong?” he asked, his shoulders heaving with each breath.

Gabriel frowned. “Jack, I... For six years, this is all I wanted, all I hoped for... but I'd almost given up on it ever happening." He looked away, tried to wrestle the words from his whirling mind. "I guess I never thought about what would happen if... if we... Look, I just... I need to be careful about this."

When he looked up again, he saw that Jack wasn’t so much hurt as he was confused, and tried to find a way to explain it properly. He opened his mouth enough that cool air brushed his sharpened canines. Jack’s eyes widened.

“Oh.”

“I’m not affected like other vampires – never drank human blood, so I don’t… _want_ it, I guess. But if I slipped up, even for just a second…” He grimaced, shook his head. “No way I’m gonna let that happen. I promised I wouldn’t hurt you.”

“And I believe you,” Jack said, lifting a hand to trace his fingers across Gabriel’s cheek - a faint burn mark from the silver chain was starting to appear there. “I believe you and I trust you. But I understand.” His eyes turned sad. “I just want to be with you..."

A shout interrupted them, making them both jump.

“ _Jack!_ ” Hanzo’s voice.

“Shit!” Jack scrambled to his feet, nearly tripping over Gabriel. “Hanzo, he doesn’t know, if he sees you…”

Gabriel rose more slowly. Of course the moment couldn’t last forever, no matter how much they wanted it to. And he should probably check in on Jesse. “I’ll go,” he said to Jack.

He was just beginning to shadow when Jack grabbed his wrist – the look he gave Gabriel was urgent.

“The office. Come visit. We can talk.”

“Just talk?” Gabriel cocked an eyebrow, and Jack snorted.

“Just talk.”

“I’ll see you tonight, then.”

His frame blurred and faded into the shadows of the factory, and he slipped away just as Hanzo appeared in the doorway. Fazing back through the window he’d come through, Gabriel reformed just in time to see Jesse round the corner, looking frantic. He stumbled to a stop at the sight of Gabriel, made to speak but caught himself, glancing at the factory.

“Gabe!” he whispered. “You’re alright!”

Gabriel walked over to him, leading them further away from the factory with one last glance over his shoulder. More than alright. He grinned, faintly.

“Yeah. No thanks to you, though."

Jesse looked sheepish. "Well, that ain't fair. I went off lookin' for help."

"And?"

"And ran into Hanzo," Jesse gave a shrug. "Y'know, that other hunter Jack's working with, the one I mentioned?"

Gabriel smirked. "The one you've got a crush on, right?"

The beginnings of a blush lit up Jesse's ears. "I don't... Well, maybe... A-Anyway! I was gonna bring him back to help but we ran into some more of 'em scoutin' the place, so we took 'em down." He paused, frowning. "How did you get out o' there, anyway?"

Now Gabriel had to fight not to blush. He looked away. "Jack got to me in time."

He couldn't see the look on Jesse's face, but he didn't have to try hard to picture it. " _Oo-ohh!_ So he's really comin' around is he? Hanzo mentioned Jack had gone to investigate the place, maybe it's a damn good thing I gave you two some alone time."

Gabriel glanced back at him as Jesse gave a sly wink - Gabriel cuffed him across the back of the head. "Yeah, well, next time a bunch of thugs are trying to kill me, maybe make sure I'm still alive before you go flirting with your boyfriend."

"Yeah, yeah, like you weren't busy snoggin' yours..."

For the first time in six years, Gabriel laughed.

 

\-----

 

Jack sat the edge of the bed, chest bare, hair still damp after his evening shower. Despite the night’s chill, the window was open, and the cool breeze seeping through it tickled his skin. It still wasn’t enough to cool the heat in his chest, or the warmth lingering on his lips as he ran his fingers over them. The kiss seemed to be imprinted on them, as though he could still feel Gabriel there.

The wait had been too long, the reunion too short. And what would happen now? _In love with a vampire - now there’s a tricky situation_. Didn’t drink human blood but still had sharp teeth, inhuman strength, an instinct that drove him to kill. An instinct that Gabriel had resisted so far, but in passionate moments, when their emotions were raw and wild, would he be able to keep himself controlled? Maybe Jack was getting ahead of himself. After all, Gabriel had mentioned taking things slow. They’d work it out. As long as Gabriel kept the promise he’d made.

As the night well-and-truly fell across the city, Jack worried that Gabriel wouldn’t show up, that he'd changed his mind and thought Jack was safer without him around, was better off - an idea that upset Jack to point of panic, but he quickly pressed it down. Gabriel would keep his promise. After all, he'd told the truth about everything else. That was one thing he didn't doubt: the truth of what he'd seen and heard. He'd spent too many years being angry, holding onto it so tightly that he couldn't feel anything else. Anger at his own failure, mostly; he had failed to keep Gabriel safe, he had let the love of his life be taken away from him, and he'd hated himself for it. Hate for himself turned into hate for vampires, and for Vermillion especially - it's what had driven him to separate Gabriel and Vermillion in his mind, convinced him that they were two different beings. It had prevented him from realising the truth, that Gabriel was still alive, and because of it he'd spent six years miserable and alone.

He was done with anger; too old for it, and too tired. He was ready to open the gates once again and let something bright back in - to let Gabriel back in and pry away the covers he'd lain over his heart in a way that only Gabriel ever could. 

Sighing, Jack lay himself down onto the bed, grimacing as it gave a metallic groan, and let his head sink into the pillow, closing his eyes. But what if Gabriel broke his promise? What if he left, and broke what was left of Jack's dwindling spirit? Perhaps it had been a bad idea after all. He'd never been fond of vulnerability, and at the thought of getting hurt again, his mind tried desperately to crawl back into its shell.

A gust rattled the old curtains, but as it reached his back, Jack realised that the air had turned warm. Something brushed lightly over his skin, took shape to form a large, gentle hand. The gesture was enough to wash away what was left of his walls, and he spilled out into those patient, familiar hands. No more hiding, no more fighting.

“Gabriel,” he murmured, rolling onto his back. “You came.”

“I said I would, didn’t I?” Gabriel smiled down at him, his gaze fond, eyes dark. In the low light, Jack could hardly see the red at all.

He reached up to tug at the collar of Gabriel’s jacket - obliging the request, Gabriel lowered himself down until his chest was resting on top of Jack’s, straddling his legs. He rested his arms on either side of Jack’s head, and Jack let his hands rest on Gabriel’s wide hips.

“Brings back memories,” Jack said softly.

Gabriel chuckled, and Jack felt the rumble through his entire body. “Seems like an eternity ago.”

“Does it?” Jack shifted his arms to hold the back of Gabriel’s neck in his hands. “We’re not _that_ old yet, are we?”

He was rewarded with another chuckle, and felt a tingle across his skin, all the way down to his toes. Impulsively, he pulled Gabriel down towards him, thrilled when Gabriel didn’t resist and their lips met. Lost time to make up for, new memories to imprint; Jack held nothing back, and though Gabriel seemed hesitant at first, Jack encouraged him, bit at his lips, let his tongue dart between them. His fingers tousled Gabriel’s hair, grazing across his undercut, played with the juvenile curls. When they parted to breathe, Jack gave a quiet laugh.

“Your hair is getting long.”

“You like it?”

“I love it.”

Jack dragged him back, no longer shy with his tongue, and Gabriel returned the favour. His hands left Gabriel’s neck to roam down his back, over his hips, along those glorious thighs that he had all-but worshipped. Gabriel’s own hands explored Jack’s exposed chest, tracing muscles and old scars, squeezing at his nipples to make Jack gasp. Heat blossomed in his belly, and, leaving Gabriel’s hips, Jack’s fingers began to work at the buckle of his jeans. Gabriel pulled away sharply, panting. He sat back, his groin resting on Jack’s lap; there was a hardness against his abdomen that nearly made Jack giddy, but the look on Gabriel’s face quickly cooled him.

“Sorry, Jack, I…”

Jack shook his head. “Being careful, right?”

“Yeah…” Gabriel glanced away, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “Maybe we take things slow for now. Just… to be safe.”

“Of course.”

“Sorry…”

“Don’t be.” Jack tapped a finger on Gabriel’s shoulder. “I started getting carried away. You wanted to talk, right?”

Gabriel shrugged. “Actually, I just wanted to see you again.”

With a laugh, Jack shifted, and Gabriel lifted himself up and off, allowing Jack to roll back onto his side.

“Why don’t you just stay with me tonight, then? Don’t have to say or do anything.”

“That… sounds perfect, actually.”

A warm frame pressed against his back, the bed groaning unhappily as Gabriel lowered himself down behind Jack. A strong arm curled over his waist, and he felt Gabriel’s nose prod the back of his neck, threatening to make him shiver.

“I missed this,” Jack sighed, shutting his eyes.

Gabriel hummed. “More than sex?”

“Don’t get carried away…”

Laughter, sending pleasant vibrations into his bones. “Tell you what, if we’re careful, I reckon we can give it a try before too long. Just gotta make sure I don't hurt you, what with my vampire super-strength and all that."

Now Jack did shiver. As much as the thought thrilled him, for the time being, lying with Gabriel pressed against his back was the most wonderful feeling in the world. Sex would be nice, but Jack could wait – he’d had plenty of practice. Yet with his eyes closed, he could almost imagine that six years had never passed at all, and it was just another night spent together in each other’s arms, sharing their warmth, breathing in time with one another. Things may have changed, but Jack was glad he had this back, would fight to keep it that way. He finally had Gabriel back again, and wouldn’t let him go, no matter what it took.

He fell asleep to the lulling rhythm of Gabriel’s breathing, rocked by the rise and fall of his broad chest. It took him gently, pleasantly. Safe, warm, and wanted, he dreamt of fond smiles shared in beautiful places, and brown eyes highlighted with the most wonderful shade of red. _I’ll never let you go, not until the day I die..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is definitely my favourite chapter so far!! Yayyyy, for fluff!!! I was originally gonna make it a smut chapter but I just like fluff and slow burns too much, sorry guys. (You'll get your smut soon).  
> And sorry for the lack of McHanzo, I promise I'll make up for it next chapter!  
> Now I know I had a bit of a wobble with feeling like people weren't enjoying my writing anymore but after getting some of the absolute nicest comments from all you amazing readers I realised that I'm being a silly self-doubting writer (wait isn't that all of us??) and that I should have more faith in my readers. Thank you all so much, you truly mean the world to me! :D


	8. An Unexpected Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the saying goes, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'. In other words, when hunters and vampires share the same goal, a unique partnership could be on the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last!!! I got the next chapter up!!!  
> I am so sorry it took so long, life got hella busy and then all my motivation decided to go on holiday, but after some super encouraging comments from some absolutely wonderful readers I got my butt back into gear and here we are!  
> This chapter is almost entirely dialogue (sorry about that), but I just really wanted to get the ball rolling again with something short and sweet, and it kind of summarises where the plot is at. I promise I will try super hard to get the next chapter up really soon!!  
> While I was trying to get my groove back I went and did some major edits on the previous chapters to improve flow and continuity, so if you were think of re-reading now's a good time! And thank you everyone who's commented! Every comment gives me a shot of motivation, so please keep them coming!!

Jesse visited the workshop every night. When dusk had fallen across the city and its few residents had wandered back to their homes, he walked along the shadowed streets to the forlorn, red-brick building, nestled between an old antiques shop and a long-forgotten café. He’d found the place completely by accident, not long after they’d first arrived, and he’d visited every night ever since, if he could. Sometimes they were off across the country tracking down nasties, once or twice he’d even joined Gabriel in slipping across the border – either north or south – and there had been a couple of times where he’d been too badly injured, but otherwise, he visited every night.

It was an old gunsmith’s workshop, abandoned when the vampire attacks in the city had gotten so bad that citizens had been forced to flee, leaving their livelihoods behind. Half-constructed pistols rested on the workbench, there were boxes full of unpacked parts, and the table was strewn with guns in the process of being cleaned. Jesse remembered each of them like an old friend, cleaned the dust from them, checked their cylinders and barrels for spiders, even tried his hand at putting a few of them back together.

When he was younger, he’d spend hours when he wasn’t running loose on the streets watching old Western films – _True Grit_ , _Tombstone_ , _The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly_ – admiring the dust-worn, road-weary heroes and their gleaming six-shooter pistols, roaming across the deserts and dealing out the law on their own terms. It was an idea that had always appealed to him: no rules, no ties, just the open road, putting down bad guys however he saw fit. That was a life he could live. When he was sixteen, the Deadlock Gang had offered him a chance to make that dream a reality, and Jesse had leapt at it; it wasn’t until later that he realised the ‘justice’ Deadlock believed in wasn’t the same that Jesse had hoped for. He wasn’t one of the rugged heroes, defender of the meek and innocent – he was little better than a thug, a bad guy, a villain. By that stage, he was in too deep to cut himself out cleanly.

He’d been dreaming of one day breaking loose of the gang, striking out on his own, trying to redeem himself or at least to start anew, maybe even finding himself a partner, someone he could eventually settle down with, when the gang had been attacked. Jesse had tried to run, but he’d been too slow – when he tried to fight, he’d been overwhelmed. That Gabriel had been in the right place at the right time to save his ass was a sheer miracle; the vampire had been passing through when he’d heard the commotion.

At the time, Jesse had just been relieved that he was still alive – mostly, at least. The repercussions of his new lifestyle didn’t hit him until later. He’d gone from villain to super villain – how could he ever be a hero now, when people were terrified of him at first glance, called him a monster before they even knew him? He’d never be able to live a normal life, hang up his guns, buy a bit of land out on the outskirts of the desert and live out his days defending his home with a beloved partner by his side… That was all out the window. His happily ever after was lost to the dust, swept off in the breeze.

At least he could live out his existence as a vigilante, thanks to Gabriel. Vampires weren’t the bad guys he’d had in mind as a kid, but he guessed it was close enough. Too bad it was such a thankless job.

Setting down the gun he’d been cleaning, Jesse gave a long sigh. Genji and Gabriel had been angry about their turning, but Jesse had just been sad. Who’d ever see a vampire as a hero? Who’d ever see the work they’d done and thank them? Who’d make movies about vampire-hunting-vampires? Who’d ever love a vampire? No one.

Or at least, that’s what he’d thought.

A voice behind him stirred him from his musings. “I knew I’d find you here.”

Jesse chuckled quietly. “That predictable, am I?”

He turned around to see Genji sitting cross-legged at the near end of the long table, watching him.

“Even my brother knew to find you here – Jack, too. So, yes, you’re pretty predictable.”

“Creature o’ habit, I guess,” Jesse shrugged his shoulders under his serape. “How’s Gabe doing?”

At that Genji rolled his eyes. “Said he was going to go check on Jack.”

No surprise there. Whatever had happened in the warehouse while Jesse had been off getting help, it looked like it had finally bridged the gap between Jack and Gabriel – only took six damn years – and while Jesse has happy for the alpha he had come to view as the father-figure he’d never had, he was also a little jealous. If Gabriel had a chance of a happy ending, why couldn’t Jesse?

“I honestly thought Jack’d be harder to convince,” Jesse responded. “Seemed like such a stubborn old bastard – never knew what Gabe saw in him, to be honest. He was always such a grump.”

Genji tilted his head to one side, looking serious. “Perhaps it was his grief that made him like that. When people lose something – or someone – close to them, it can change them.”

“Suppose you’ve got a point there…” Jesse frowned. “How about your brother?”

“Hanzo?” Genji straightened, surprised. “Oh, after he thought I died?” A shrug. “He seems just as boring and serious as he always did, maybe a little gloomier than usual – if that’s possible. Why do you ask?”

“Just wonderin’.”

At his sudden indifference, Genji smirked. “Jesse. I know you have a crush on my brother. A _big_ crush.”

Subtlety had never been Jesse’s strong point. He pulled his hat lower over his face to try and hide his sudden blush. Knowing that Hanzo was Genji’s _brother_ seemed to make everything worse – Genji knew Hanzo better than Jesse ever could, probably knew already what his brother would think of someone like Jesse, but he was too terrified to ask.

“I ain’t that bad…”

“Oh yeah? Then what were you and my brother doing when you were meant to be helping Gabriel today? Gabriel keeps bringing it up but you never actually told us.”

Jesse looked up again, indignant. “I did so tell you! I was gettin’ help!”

Leaning back, Genji lifted his hands, palms out, in a gesture of innocence. “Hey, I wasn’t the one getting attacked by hunters.” He deftly caught the cleaning cloth Jesse lobbed at him.

“I’m tellin’ ya, I did go to find help!” Jesse huffed. “I just happened to run into Hanzo while he was checkin’ out the perimeter. When I told him Gabe was in trouble, he said Jack was already on his way inside, if he wasn’t already.”

“So you left Gabriel at the mercy of both those hunters _and_ Jack?”

If Jesse had another cloth, he would’ve thrown it as well. He was nearly tempted to throw the gun he’d been cleaning. “I was gonna go back but Hanzo stopped me. Said Jack had been acting off lately, that he thought Gabriel might be getting through to him.”

“Huh. He always had a good eye for things like that,” conceded Genji. “So what _were_ you and my brother doing?”

Now Jesse rolled his eyes. “Well, we _were_ gonna have a nice ol’ chat about things, maybe go out for a damn picnic, catch a movie – the hell do you think? Like I told Gabe, we overheard a few hunters headin’ for the warehouse and took ‘em down. By the time we’d gotten rid of ‘em and got back to the warehouse, Gabe was fine.”

“Sounds believable.” Genji gave a nod, as though deciding on Jesse’s innocence. “Did you find out anything about where the hunters were from? Who hired them?”

Jesse shook his head. “Nothin’. Just that whoever was payin’ ‘em didn’t give ‘em his name or showed his face, that he was a bit suspicious.”

“Gabriel mentioned that they said something about taking down both vampires _and_ hunters. He thinks Talon could be involved.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me.”

Genji frowned. “If it is Talon, Hanzo and Jack are in just as much danger as we are. It will be difficult to protect them while we’re apart.”

Jesse paused, blinked. “Hold up… Are you sayin’ we should… what, join forces with ‘em? Vampires teaming up with hunters?”

“Think about it. Hanzo knows that you and I aren’t _bad_ vampires. Jack knows that Gabriel isn’t a bad vampire. But they don’t know that the other knows – though Hanzo sounds like he’s figured it out. I don’t think it would be that hard to convince Jack that it’s a good idea.”

“Well, not if Gabe’s the one convincing him.”

“True.” Genji grinned. “It would be good to work with my brother again.”

“That so? From what I’ve heard, sounds like you spent most of the time doing your own thing on hunts.”

Jesse only had time to flinch as Genji tossed the cleaning cloth back at him, hitting him across the eyes.

“I learned my lesson.”

“Right, sorry.”

“Besides. I bet _you_ would be keen to work with Hanzo, wouldn’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jesse hesitated. “Is it that obvious?”

“Jesse McCree, you walk around dressed as a cowboy. At this stage,  _'obvious'_ is practically your middle name."

 

\-----

 

Hanzo was awake well-before dawn. What little sleep he’d managed to get had been plagued by nightmares, the worst of which took him back to the crypts in London, to the fight where Genji had been bitten. He saw the cloaked figure of what he assumed was Vermillion, striding through a flood of feral vampires, coming to save his brother, but as he reached Genji he turned, revealing a face that wasn’t Vermillion’s at all, and laughed before biting deep into Genji’s neck and draining him dry. After that he’d been unwilling to fall asleep again, and had instead gotten up and dressed.

As he passed the door to Jack’s room, Hanzo paused, listening. Usually Jack was a restless sleeper, as signalled by a chorus of intermittently shrieking bed-springs, but this morning his room was silent. For a second he almost considered checking on the other hunter, but decided against it; he should let Jack rest while he could. He continued to the kitchen, flicking on the kettle and preparing himself some tea.

The warmth of it helped to soothe his nerves as he sat at the miserable old couch in the small communal living area adjacent to the kitchen, legs crossed underneath him, flicking through channels on the holoscreen without really seeing anything. His mind coaxed him back to the previous day’s events, and, switching the holoscreen off, he allowed it to lead him away.

Jack had seemed to be in particularly good spirits after the incident at the warehouse. He’d offered Hanzo no details on what had taken place inside, only that he’d arrived to discover a rival hunting group trying to take down Vermillion who had turned on him; he’d taken down most of the hunters, but Vermillion – _the, uh, bastard_ – had gotten away. Hanzo knew there had been more to it than that, if Jack’s mood and what Jesse had told him about Jack and Gabriel’s potential reconciliation were anything to go by. But he hadn’t asked, and neither had he revealed what he’d been up to in the meantime.

While killing vampires was Hanzo’s specialty, killing humans wasn’t new to him. Often rival hunters would try to eliminate their competition in pursuit of a bigger pay check, and when it came to kill-or-be-killed, Hanzo had never been one to hesitate. Fighting alongside a vampire, however, was new to him. Jesse had moved with incredible speed and agility, taking down the hunters with the strength of his bare hands – he didn’t use his fangs once. Hanzo had taken a few down with his arrows, watching for Jesse’s reaction at the scent of human blood; he had stiffened, seemed to waver for a moment, his eyes flashing, but whatever was trying to steal over him he’d fought against, and eventually won. Then he’d gone racing off to check on his alpha, and Hanzo had gone off after Jack.

The fight had consolidated two facts in Hanzo’s mind: the first was that vampires who did not drink human blood did, in fact, have a higher resistance to the smell of it, but were not completely immune to its effects (or at least, not in Jesse’s case); secondly was that a partnership between the hunters and Vermillion’s coven might not be such an absurd idea. The only complication standing in the way of that becoming a reality was Jack – he was still unaware that Hanzo had come to understand the truth about Vermillion and his coven, and Hanzo was unaware if Jack himself knew that truth. Perhaps it was time to speak with him, to admit what he knew and how he had learnt it, to propose that they begin a partnership.

Footsteps down the corridor snapped him back to the present. Jack must have woken – now was as good a time as ever to talk to him. Hanzo looked up, already drawing a breath to begin his request for a meeting, and froze. It wasn’t Jack in the doorway.

It was Vermillion.

The vampire looked just as surprised as Hanzo must have. For a long moment, they were both too stunned to move or speak, simply stared at each other with wide eyes and loose jaws. Then Vermillion blinked, and Hanzo leapt to his feet.

“Hanzo, wait!” Vermillion hissed, raising his hands. “Listen, your brother…”

“I know.” Hanzo stood half-crouched, keeping his voice low. “Jesse told me.”

Vermillion faltered. “Oh. He mentioned speaking to you…” he frowned. “Then… you believe it?”

“If I hadn’t seen Genji with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have. But having seen him, alive, having listened to him… Yes, I do believe it.”

“Then you won’t…?”

“Try to kill you? No.” Hanzo narrowed his eyes, struck by a sudden thought. “What are you doing here?”

“Uh…”

More footsteps, hurried, a little clumsy.

“Gabriel?” Jack half-whispered, staggering into the room. “You can’t just walk around here! Hanzo might…” He stopped himself at the sight of Hanzo himself, standing in front of the couch. “… Shit!”

Hanzo found himself momentarily speechless once again. As if Vermillion lurking around their building wasn’t unusual enough, he now had the sight of Jack topless and sporting impressive bed-hair – he’d never seen the man in anything other than his trademark jeans and jacket – and standing next to the vampire that, as far as Hanzo was aware, was still his sworn enemy, as though it were perfectly ordinary. It didn’t take him long to figure out what had happened.

“You… and Vermillion…”

Jack held out a hand towards him, shielding Vermillion with the other. “Hanzo, let me explain. Gabriel and I… Look, this will sound insane but… I was wrong about him, ok?”

A hand on his shoulder silenced him, and he looked across at Gabriel. “He knows, Jack.”

Jack’s pale brows shot up. “What? How?” To Hanzo: “You knew?”

Hanzo cleared his throat. “Perhaps we should sit down and discuss this together.”

A few moments later they were seated around the small kitchen table, two steaming cups laid out before them – another tea for Hanzo, an instant coffee laden with milk for Jack, and nothing for Gabriel; apparently vampires were unable to consume human food or drink. Jack had, thankfully, managed to put a shirt on, but he still sat awkwardly, uncomfortably, not meeting Hanzo’s questioning gaze. In contrast, Gabriel seemed almost relaxed as he tapped a fingernail against the plastic tabletop.

“Alright, so,” he began, immediately catching Jack’s full attention, “let’s make sure you two are both up to speed. You both believe us – _finally_ – about the not being bad vampires thing, right?” Two nods in reply. “Thank goodness for that. So neither of you are trying to kill us anymore?” Two shakes. “Even better.”

“But how?” Jack interrupted, nodding his head in Hanzo’s direction. “How did Hanzo know?”

“I spoke to Jesse,” answered Hanzo, “and encountered… my brother.”

Now Jack looked straight at him, unable to conceal his surprise. “Your _brother?_ I thought he was meant to be dead!”

“ _Meant_ to be. Gabriel saved him.”

“How-? Alpha venom,” Jack frowned. “You stopped him from going feral?”

Gabriel nodded. “Same as how I turned Jesse. Not so sure I’d call it ‘saving’ anyone, though…”

“So at the warehouse yesterday… you already knew?”

The question was directed at Hanzo, who grimaced at his tea. “I knew, yes.”

“But you never mentioned it to me?”

“I suspected you were close to finding it out on your own. Was I correct?”

Jack considered the question for a moment before nodding. “Well, you weren’t wrong. Come to think of it, I probably started to believe it the first time Gabriel spared my life. Just took me a week to get it through my head.”

“You were always a bit thick-headed, you know.” Gabriel’s teasing was answered by an elbow to the arm.

“ _Point is_ ,” Jack went on, tone firm, “we know you aren’t the ones we should be hunting. We don’t pose a threat to you or your coven anymore. Is that right, Hanzo?”

Hanzo nodded. It was good to know he wouldn’t have to protect his brother from Jack or be forced to pick sides, but the question of how to move forward remained. Thankfully, Gabriel had an answer.

“The vampire we’ve been going after, and the one who’s most likely behind the past few attacks around here, is an alpha known as Talon. We don’t exactly know much about him, only that he’s a violent son-of-a-bitch that won’t think twice about harming humans – or vampires that get in his way, which happens to include me.”

“Talon.” Hanzo repeated the name, mulled over it. “He is after you, then?”

“And anyone I’m working with,” answered Gabriel. “I’ve been trying to stop him for nearly five years now. Must be starting to get on his nerves.” He leant back in his seat, scowling. “And it looks like he’s managed to track me down. As long as you’re around me, you’re a target for Talon, and if I’m right about him having found us, it means you’re both in serious danger. It would be safest for both of you to leave the city.”

Jack and Hanzo’s response was immediate and simultaneous.

“Like _hell_ I’m gonna do that!”

“Out of the question!”

They paused, looked at each other, before Jack indicated for Hanzo to speak first.

“I cannot leave my brother behind knowing he is in danger. I have a chance to make amends for my failure two years ago, and I will not run away from it.”

“And there’s no damned way I’m leaving you again, Gabe,” Jack growled. “If you think I’m gonna just say good-bye, after I’ve finally got you back…” There was an urgency in his expression that hinted at unspoken words, most likely held back because of Hanzo’s presence; it made him feel a little awkward.

Gabriel sighed heavily. “I had a feeling you’d say something along those lines.” He shook his head, leaned forward again to rest his elbows on the tabletop. “Fine. If you won’t leave to keep your asses out of trouble, what’s Plan B?”

Before Jack could say anything, Hanzo spoke up. “We join together.”

The two older men looked at him as though he’d sprouted a second pair of ears. “ _What?_ ”

“Jack and I assist your coven in tracking down and eliminating Talon,” Hanzo elaborated. “Together we make a less vulnerable target for Talon’s attacks, and with our combined skills we are far more likely to have success in locating and taking Talon down. As vampires, you have a greater knowledge of how vampires behave, where they might live, and what weapons they have at their disposal. But we, as hunters, are far better at killing them. Working together is not only safer for all of us, but will allow us to deal with Talon more efficiently.”

Even as Hanzo finished, Gabriel was shaking his head.

“It’s way too dangerous. Talon will try to single the two of you out right away. He’s clever, and if there’s any chance he could get to either of you… I won’t allow it.”

“Oh yeah?” Jack gave a grunt. “You really think we’re safer on our own, with no knowledge of who this vampire is or how he works? There have been three attacks on the city in a week, and how well did they go for us before you showed up, hm?” Gabriel made to argue, couldn’t. “Exactly. And besides, if I’m right next to you, makes it damn easy for you to keep an eye on me, doesn’t it?”

Gabriel scowled, glancing between the two of them unhappily, but Hanzo could see that he was running out of arguments. He wasn’t surprised when he gave a loud sigh of defeat.

“Alright, alright. But I’m telling you right now, this is gonna end badly. Just promise me that if I tell you to be careful, _you’ll be careful_ , alright?”

“Got it.”

“Understood.”

Still looking unconvinced, Gabriel shook his head. “Can’t say I ever saw this turn of events coming.”

“You’re telling me,” Jack chuckled, amused. “Never thought I’d be teaming up with a vampire. But working alongside you again?” He smiled fondly at the man next to him. “That I can handle.”

Gabriel smiled back, and the pair became distracted in each other for a moment before Hanzo coughed, reminding them of their audience. They jumped a little, tried to act like they hadn’t just been caught-out, and Hanzo resisted the urge to comment on how ridiculous it made them look.

“So,” he said, once he’d regained their attention, “what is our first order of business?”

“Tracking down Talon,” answered Jack, tapping a finger against the plastic tabletop. “Figure out where he’s hiding.”

“ _Or_ ,” Gabriel leaned forward, waving a hand, “we could do something a little more… domestic.”

The others shot him a bewildered look, and Gabriel grinned – or tried to, at least, without showing too much of his teeth.

“Why don’t we celebrate our new little team with a bit of a get-together?”

A get-together with a den of vampires – if anyone had told Hanzo this is where his life would lead him, he’d have told them they were mad, and yet, here he was. How could things possibly get stranger from here?


	9. Huntsmeet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first official meeting between vampires and hunters takes place, with predictably chaotic results.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got another chapter out! You guys seemed so excited about this meet-up, so I hope it meets expectations!
> 
> There's also a teeny bit of soft-core smut in this one, might have to upgrade to E in the next few chapters. ;)  
> Enjoy! And let me know what adventures you want to see these guys go on, whether they be epic or domestic!

There was something oddly amusing about a 40-year-old man stressing out like a teenager getting ready for a date. Is my hair perfect? How’s this outfit? Which shoes are better? No, you’re right, a shirt is too formal. Now I have to start all over again! He’d rush off, pursued by a stream of curses, only to return some time later, wearing an entirely new set of clothes for Hanzo to analyse – he hadn’t even known Jack owned so much clothing.

By the fourth outfit – this time a pair of dark denim jeans and a leather jacket – Hanzo was becoming so tired of the process that he would’ve said it looked fine if Jack had been wearing nothing at all. Thankfully, Jack _was_ wearing something, and he was satisfied enough by Hanzo’s verdict that he nodded, straightened his jacket and scurried into the kitchen. One struggle resolved, another begun.

“I should bring something… Wine? Yeah, wine is good. Do we have wine? We have beer…”

Hanzo nearly rolled his eyes. “I’m not sure that vampires indulge in… alcohol.”

“Well, sure.” Jack’s head appeared in the doorway. “But we can’t just expect them to have drinks for us, can we? They wouldn’t expect us to…” He paused. “Is beer alright?”

“Beer is fine,” sighed Hanzo, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Yeah, you’re right, we’ll bring beer,” he agreed, vanishing again. “Wine is too fancy. Gabriel always preferred beer, anyway. Even if he doesn’t drink it now. Or maybe he does? I should bring enough for him, just in case…”

The rest of his mutterings Hanzo mostly ignored, instead turning to his holopad. The coordinates Gabriel had given them blinked back at him, as well as the crudely scribbled map of how to get there, but Hanzo’s eyes flicked to the top left corner, reading the time – 5:45.

“If we don’t leave now, we’ll be late!” called Hanzo to his associate, rising.

In response, there was a clatter and a curse, and a moment later Jack charged back into the room, a bundle of beer bottles stacked precariously in his arms. Hanzo didn’t have the heart to tell him that he, himself, had no interest in drinking beer, or that he doubted Gabriel and the other vampires could – he didn’t want to risk setting off a new round of second-guessing. After managing to transport the bottles safely to the van, Jack clambered up into the driver’s side of the cab and clutched the wheel.

“Nervous?” Hanzo asked him, already waiting on the passenger side.

“No, of course not.” Jack fumbled with his keys, managed to get them into the ignition after a brief struggle, and turned it; the van grumbled to life. “Alright, maybe a little.”

“Why? This is no hunt.”

“Well, it’s just…” Jack tried to shrug, but to Hanzo it looked more like a twitch. “It’s our first time doing something _normal_ together since… since everything happened. If we want things to go back to how they were… I just want this to go smoothly.”

A feeling Hanzo shared; it would be the first time he saw his brother outside of a combat situation. And Jesse would be there… Hanzo sternly reminded himself that Jesse’s presence was of no significance when it came to his nerves. Or shouldn’t be, at least. “I’m sure it will all go smoothly,” he told Jack, “if you just relax.”

Jack looked at him, cocking an eyebrow. “Yeah? Alright, Shimada. No guarantees, but I’ll give it a shot. Now where the hell are we going?”

Their destination wasn’t far from the workshop Jesse often frequented, in yet another abandoned section of the city. Some of the buildings were so worn they’d begun to collapse, littering the sidewalk with bricks. Hanzo guided them through winding streets to a dead-end road with only one driveway; Jack steered them into it, brought the van to a reluctant halt, and blinked.

“Is this… a _garage_?”

They’d parked in front of a steel roller-door large enough for a truck to go through. A worn sign hung crookedly over it; the original words were faded beyond recognition, replaced by spray paint tags and scribbles. There was a small, paved parking lot occupied mostly by wheel-less and rusted car bodies of various sizes and types. Next to the roller-doors was a smaller door, just big enough for one person to walk through at a time. There were no front-facing windows.

Hanzo checked his holopad. “This is where the coordinates say we should be.”

A disbelieving grunt came from Jack. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

He switched off the van and they exited it, Hanzo glancing nervously around the silent street. It was the perfect sort of area for a vampire to live in: no humans around, plenty of places to hide, excellent for luring in and ambushing prey. The thought made his skin tingle, and he shook his head. Thankfully, the only vampires here were ones they could trust. He joined Jack in front of the small door, but before the other hunter could even reach for the handle, it swung open, making them both jump.

Gabriel beamed at them, offering an awkward half-smile as he tried to hide his fangs.

“Jack! Hanzo! You came!”

“Of course we did,” Jack huffed, still sounding a little startled. “You didn’t tell us you lived in a damn garage, Gabe.”

With a shy shrug, Gabriel glanced at the ground, almost sheepish. “It’s got plenty of room. And it’s quiet and out of the way; being vampires we can’t really be picky about where we live.”

“Oh, right.”

Gabriel seemed to shake himself, straightening. “Why don’t you come in and check it out?”

As though they were here to do anything other than that, Jack eagerly agreed, and Hanzo followed the pair inside. The garage certainly did have plenty of room. As a mechanic’s shop, it could have easily fitted six cars at a time with room to manoeuvre, but without the cars or machinery the space seemed massive. In the far corner from them sat an old truck, resting on four large cinderblocks instead of wheels. Along the near wall was a collection of mismatched couches and armchairs surrounding a dated television. The area at the centre of the room as mostly sparse, save for a cluster of worse-for-wear punching bags and a few mats that looked like they’d been stolen from a nearby gym. Gabriel stepped into the open area and spread his arms, still wearing the same awkward smile.

“Welcome to _mi_ _casa_!” he announced.

“ _’mi’ casa?’_ ” a familiar voice repeated. “I thought it was meant to be _our_ house?”

Jesse appeared from a side-room beyond the couches, frowning, and Hanzo was surprised to see that he wasn’t wearing his usual hat and serape. The rest of his attire was the same: flannel shirt, faded jeans, and leather cowboy boots. Now that he noticed it, Gabriel wasn’t wearing his usual cloak, either. Instead, he wore fitted slacks and a hoodie, hood-down to reveal a neat undercut, and the beginnings of curls at the top of his head. Compared to Jesse’s shaggy mop of brown hair, the look made him appear rather striking, and from the faint colour on Jack’s cheeks, Hanzo guessed he’d thought the same thing.

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean.”

He pointed to the room Jesse had appeared from, and Hanzo saw that, along the side closest to them, there were actually three separate rooms.

“The kitchen is just in there. In the back corner is the bathroom. The room next to you,” he indicated the doorway beside them, “is my room.”

With Jack standing between Hanzo and the room in question, Hanzo was in prime position to see the colour on Jack’s cheeks deepen, and he decided he had absolutely no interest in figuring out what exactly crossed through Jack’s mind. Hanzo tapped his shoulder, bringing him back to reality.

“Huh?”

“The beers.”

“Oh, shit, right!” Jack scrambled back out the front door, nearly tripping over himself in his rush.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow at Hanzo. “Beers?”

“He thought he should bring something.”

The laugh that bubbled up from Gabriel’s chest was warm and rumbling, and Hanzo was suddenly certain that if Jack had been present, he would have all-but lost himself in it. Even Hanzo would admit to finding the sound enjoyable, and as he glanced across at Jesse, he was surprised to notice a fondness on his face. Then a clatter from outside, followed by a loud curse and a slam, interrupted the moment, before Jack hurried back in, a scowl on his face and one less bottle in his arms.

“Shit, Jack,” Gabriel chuckled, “how many of us did you think there’d be?”

Jack pouted. “I wasn’t sure if… Look just show me where the damn fridge is, would you?”

“Y’know we can’t drink that stuff,” Jesse snapped, the roughness of his tone startlingly sharp in the humour of the moment, catching the rest of them off-guard.

It took Jack a moment to gather a response, and when he did, his voice was the low growl Hanzo was accustomed to hearing from him.

“Who said I brought it for you, huh?” he barked back.

Jesse’s eyes narrowed. “Suppose I ain’t surprised to see you not doin’ anythin’ for us.”

“Woah, woah, hey,” Gabriel hurriedly stepped between the two of them, but his words were directed at Jesse. “Cut that out would you?” There was a quiet exchange that Hanzo couldn’t hear, then Jesse stepped aside with a snort, and Gabriel ushered Jack into the kitchen, leaving Jesse and Hanzo in the main room.

“Is Genji…?” Hanzo began, after an uncomfortable moment of silence.

Jesse snapped his attention back to him, brightening instantly. “Genji’s out running a quick patrol, makin’ sure nothing’s up. He should be back soon.”

“Ah, good.”

Grinning, Jesse stepped over to one of the armchairs and beckoned for Hanzo to join him. “Sorry, don’t mean to be rude. Come take a seat! Ain’t the comfiest couches in the world, and sure as hell ain’t the prettiest, but I’ve sat on worse.”

Possibly ugliest in the world, more like it. They looked like they’d been dragged in off the street; Hanzo realised they probably had been. Nonetheless, as he sat himself down he had to agree that they weren’t as bad as they looked. The faint surprise must have shown on his face, as Jesse’s grin widened.

“See?” He leant back into the corner of the chair, one arm laid across the back. “Gabe and I spent ages decking the place out. Couldn’t exactly shop for anything, though. Had to pick it up from the roadside or from other abandoned buildings.”

Hanzo looked around the sparsely-furnished area again. “It’s… quite nice.”

Impossibly, Jesse’s grin grew even wider. Through the doorway behind him, Gabriel and Jack returned, chuckling over some shared joke, Jack with a beer in each hand. They joined them on the couches, Jack offering one of the bottles to Hanzo – he pointedly ignored Jesse as he did so. Hanzo took the drink – still not having the heart to tell Jack he hated the stuff – and set it down on the floor as Gabriel sat himself down in the middle of one of the lounger couches. Jesse, seeing an opportunity, hurriedly rose from his armchair to plop himself down on Gabriel’s left, cocking a smug smile at a hesitating Jack. They exchanged a look. Gabriel huffed and patted the spot on his other side.

“You can sit here if you like,” he said to Jack, “or you can grab Jesse’s armchair. I’m sure he _won’t mind_.”

The last words were hissed at the vampire in question, who scowled.

Jack shuffled his feet. “I’ll, uh… sit over here, with Hanzo.”

The couch was just big enough for the two of them with the way Jack spread his legs, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. From that position, Gabriel was still in-between him and Jesse, partially obscuring Gabriel from Hanzo’s view; he still had a clear line of sight to Jesse, however, and could see the smug smirk he was pulling.

“It’s not a bad place you’ve got here,” Jack began. “A lot more room than we’ve got back at the office. I’ll have to show you around it some time.”

“Well, I’ve already taken a grand tour of the holding cells,” grumbled Jesse. “Gotta say, really love what you’ve done with it. The mould, the stink – real classy.”

Hanzo saw Jack tense, and his voice was strained. “That was… before we understood what was going on.”

“Y’mean when you were still tryin’ to kill us.”

“Jesse!” Gabriel rounded on him. “The hell’s gotten into you?”

“I’m just sayin’! Jack’s been wantin’ us deader than dead for five years now, we’re just meant to forget about that?”

Jack spoke up again. “Look, I’m sorry about everything that happened between us. Trust me, I regret it. I was wrong and…”

“Well, I’ll be! Never thought I’d hear the high an’ mighty Jack Morrison say he was wrong about somethin’.”

“Jesse, I told you to cut it out!”

“Sorry I’m late!”

They all fell immediately silent and whirled to the front door, where Genji stood with one hand raised awkwardly in greeting. “Am I interrupting something…?”

“Genji!” Jesse broke out into a smile, his previous anger seemingly forgotten. “’Bout time!”

Gabriel breathed a long sigh of relief, and beside Hanzo, Jack shook his head and took a long drink.

“How was the patrol?” Gabriel asked. “Any activity?”

“All clear.” Genji looked across at Hanzo with a warm smile. “Brother! How are you?”

“Good, brother.”  Even despite the squabbling between Jack and Jesse, Hanzo felt that he meant it. “And you?”

“Great!” He threw himself into Jesse’s vacant armchair, folding his arms behind his head and kicking out his feet. “So what are we talking about?”

Gabriel rose before Jesse could speak. “Introductions! Jack, this is Genji Shimada, and you know Jesse already –” Jesse gave an unhappy grunt – “Genji, this is Jack Morrison.”

Genji waved enthusiastically, and Jack nodded at him. “It’s a pleasure to meet another Shimada hunter. I’ve got a lot of respect for your family.”

“Hanzo,” Gabriel went on, catching his attention. “I don’t think I ever properly introduced myself, so: I’m Gabriel Reyes.”

Hanzo offered a shallow bow in greeting, more out of habit than formality. Gabriel Reyes, the vampire formerly known as Vermillion, the man formally Jack’s beloved partner. The one who had turned Genji into a vampire – the one who had done so in order to save him. It was intimidating, sitting before him as he towered, his fangs just visible behind his smiling lips, his eyes smouldering with a vibrant vermillion gleam. But Hanzo remembered the way he had laughed, watched the way the corners of his eyes crinkled with his smile, and thought he wasn’t quite so frightening after all. He could see why Jack had fallen for the man. As Gabriel sat back down, Hanzo flicked his gaze across to Jesse, and noticed him watching Gabriel as well, eyes bright, smiling with that fond look he’d noticed before.

“Alright,” the alpha picked up again. “It looks like we’ll be joining forces from here on out to take down Talon. Agreed?”

A chorus in reply. Jack and Jesse exchanged another look.

“Good. Jesse and I have been working on trying to locate Talon for a few years now, but with help from a couple of hunters I think we can finally manage to pin him down.” He grimaced. “Only problem is, I think he may have found us first.

“From the reports Nightwatch has on us, and probably the Shimada clan, as well, you know that we’ve been trying to pick off Talon’s vampires before they can carry out their attacks. From what we know, Talon has a lot of vampires under him, and they’re not all in the one place. He seems to have control over a number of covens across Europe and the Americas, and all of them are hostile towards humans. We’ve managed to stop some of the attacks, but not all. The coven Genji and Hanzo attacked in London –” he glanced at the brothers as he spoke – “was one of Talon’s, too.”

Then that’s why Gabriel had been there, and why the coven’s alpha hadn’t been.

Jack leaned forward. “What do we know about Talon?”

“That he’s a real mean sonovabitch,” answered Jesse, glumly. “Real nasty sort. Bit like you, Jack.”

He yelped as Gabriel elbowed him, none-too-gently. Genji snorted a laugh before covering his mouth.

“What Jesse meant to say,” Gabriel grumbled, “is that Talon is pretty damn hostile, but he’s smart about it. He’s an alpha, and a powerful one – probably stronger than I am, even. He’s been going after large covens, taking out their alphas and then recruiting the survivors, building his own numbers. We assume he’s doing this to continue attacking humans on even larger scales.”

“His goal?” Hanzo asked. “Is there some reason he’s going to so much trouble to build his strength?”

Gabriel shook his head. “If you ask me, he’s interested in power. Whatever he wants, it’s putting human civilians in danger, and that means we need to stop him.”

A deep frown fell over Jack’s features. “All this time, Nightwatch thought you were behind all of these attacks. We had no idea Talon even existed.”

“Well,” Jesse smirked, “if the rest of Nightwatch is as clever as you are, Jack, I ain’t surprised.”

Hanzo could practically see Jack’s hackles rise. “We managed to track _you_ here, didn’t we? If you _were_ Talon we’d have you in silver chains by now!”

“Oh yeah? Cus you had me in silver chains, remember? And I _escaped_. You really think you’d stand a chance against Talon?”

Genji leant back in his armchair and gave a quiet “ _oooooh_ ”.

“That’s why we’re teaming up, genius!” Jack snapped.

“You sure it ain’t cus you missed yer boyfriend?”

“ _Jesse!_ ” Gabriel looked both mortified and outraged.

Genji barked a laugh before he could catch himself. Jack’s ears burned red and he stammered over a retort, words failing him.

Hanzo cleared his throat. “Are you saying you’d rather not work with us?”

Jesse looked at him in surprise, his confidence faltering. “Well, naw, I ain’t sayin’ that…”

“If you did not need our help, perhaps _you_ would have caught Talon already.”

“Well…”

“And, if you remember, on the night you were caught, you were rather distracted by _me_.”

Now it was Jesse’s turn to blush. From the corner of his vision, Hanzo saw Genji’s brows shoot up, and a mischievous grin stretch his cheeks.

Gabriel shook his head. “Honestly, if I had’ve known you we’re all going to bicker like kids I would never have organised this. Genji, Jesse, why don’t you show Hanzo around the place while Jack and I talk?”

Jack, who had been looking a little slumped and dejected, sat upright suddenly.

“Oh?” he blinked. “Yeah, uh, sure.”

The two of them rose together and, after Gabriel gave Jesse a stern warning of _‘don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone’_ , they slipped off into Gabriel’s room. Hanzo raised his eyebrows at that, wondering if they men intended to ‘talk’ or if they had something else in mind… He shook the thought away. Whatever their plans, it was no business of Hanzo’s. He turned to Jesse.

“You don’t like Jack very much,” he stated.

Jesse frowned, shrugged. “Naw, I mean, he ain’t all that bad a guy. It’s just… we’ve got a bit of history, us and him, and it ain’t good. Guess I ain’t as forgiving as Gabe is.”

“They were very close, weren’t they? Before Gabriel was turned.”

“Practically married, if you ask me,” Jesse chuckled. “Gabriel would always tell us these sappy stories about shit they did together, how much he missed him.” He turned suddenly serious. “Jack turning against Gabe like that… it tore him apart, y’know? Cruellest thing he could’ve done. And I know Gabriel forgives him for it, but me? I’ve always had a stubborn streak.”

“Stubborn puts it lightly,” Genji added, turning to Hanzo. “And he’s protective, too. Sometimes I swear he thinks he’s an alpha.”

“I sure as hell do not!”

Unwilling to endure another bickering match, Hanzo interrupted them. “So if Gabriel gets his own room, where do you two sleep?”

Genji grinned. “Actually, vampires don’t really need to sleep, so we just rest to pass the time, especially cus we don’t hunt. Come on.”

He rose, and Hanzo followed him, Jesse close behind.

“Gabe got the room because he’s in charge,” Jesse explained, “so I had to improvise.” He pointed to the old truck. “Voila!”

Sure enough, a mattress and pillow had been tucked into the back. Hanzo caught a glimpse of a book poking out from under the pillow, with an image of what appeared to be a cowboy riding a horse on the cover. The only words of the title he could make out were _Wizard_ _and Glass_. Nimbly, Jesse heaved himself up and into the back, flopping down on the mattress.

“Not bad, right?”

“It’s… very creative.”

Jesse beamed. Hanzo looked across at his brother.

“Do you sleep in a car, too?”

“No, I don’t really sleep much,” Genji shook his head. “I usually just meditate on one of the couches while listening to music.” A devilish smile crossed his features. “The music is so I don’t have to listen to Jesse jerking off.”

_“GENJI!!”_

 

\-----

 

Gabriel’s room was neat and simple. There was a double bed, a few drawers, a desk with a chair. Back in the military, Jack had always complained that Gabriel’s bunk was a mess, had wondered how he could live with clothes flung over the backs of chairs and shoes scattered around the lounge area, so when they’d moved in together, Gabriel had made a show of keeping everything neat and tidy to keep Jack happy. Jack wondered if Gabriel always kept his current room this organised, or if he had cleaned it up for the occasion.

“Sorry about Jesse,” Gabriel was saying, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him. He usually isn’t like that…”

“It’s fine.” Jack waved a hand. “I mean, he kind of had a point. We don’t exactly have the best history, he and I.” He paused. “Or you and I, for that matter…”

“Jack.” Gabriel placed a warm hand on his shoulder, and Jack looked up at him, held by his gaze. “We’re moving past that, remember? Starting over.”

“You think you can forget that the past six years happened? That I tried to kill you, more than once?”

“You thought I was an evil, blood-sucking demon,” shrugged Gabriel. “I can see where you were coming from.”

Jack looked away again. “But you wouldn’t have done the same to me, if it had been the other way around. You would have tried to listen, would have given me a chance. You always had a lot more heart than I did.”

Strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him in close, and Jack let himself be pressed against Gabriel’s chest, unable to resist the blissful comfort the contact gave him.

“You’ve got plenty of heart, Jack. I’ve seen it; it’s part of the reason I love you.” Jack’s heart skipped at the word. “You’re just… quick to jump to conclusions. And once you get something in your head, it doesn’t want to get out.”

“Something you don’t love about me?”

A chuckle sent vibrations through his frame. “Nah, I love that, too.”

Jack raised his head from Gabriel’s shoulder, seeking out his lips. They met, eagerly, and Jack looped his arms around Gabriel’s waist, shutting his eyes and focussing on the warmth of the connection, and the heat settled in his belly.

“I missed you,” he whispered between kisses. “I missed you so damn much.”

“We saw each other this morning, Jack.” Gabriel sounded amused.

Jack leant back. “That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“I know.” Gabriel lifted a hand to Jack’s jaw, rubbing a thumb across his cheek. “I missed you, too.”

They kissed again, more passionately, not parting until they absolutely had to, and not a moment longer than they needed. Jack bit at Gabriel’s lips, teased with his tongue, and Gabriel cautiously reciprocated, never biting, but letting Jack’s tongue brush against his own. The warmth in Jack’s abdomen flared, spreading across his skin, and he pulled Gabriel almost roughly against him, earning a growl in reply. Their hips pressed together, and Jack felt that Gabriel was just as eager as he was. _Taking it slow,_ he reminded himself. _For Gabriel’s sake_. But damn, it was a struggle. He wanted to lay himself down and give everything to Gabriel, to let Gabriel roam over him, to feel the fire of their bodies intertwined. His lips left Gabriel’s to cover his jaw, neck, collarbone, then roamed back, and Gabriel groaned at the attention. Jack covered the sound with another kiss, and Gabriel responded hungrily.

A sharp _click_ in his ear made him flinch, accidently biting down on Gabriel’s lower lip. The other man yelped, pulling away, and Jack swore.

“Shit! Sorry, sorry, you ok?”

“The hell was that, Jack?”

“My comm, hang on…” He fumbled for the device, pulling it out of his pocket to check the name of his caller: Adawe.

“Shit,” he grunted. “It’s my boss.” He shut his eyes with an unhappy groan. “I forgot to report in yesterday. She’s gonna be pissed at me.”

“Can’t it wait?” Gabriel purred. “We’re almost in the middle of something.”

Jack blushed. “I… can’t. If I don’t…”

Gabriel gave a huff, but smiled. “Alright, alright. Just make it quick.”

Another click. Jack pressed the receiver in his ear. “Yeah?”

_“Morrison!”_

“Adawe, hey…”

_“Why didn’t you report yesterday? You know the protocol, a failed report after a mission…”_

“I know, I know.” Jack rolled his eyes, and Gabriel smirked. “I… got caught up in something.”

_“I take it the mission was a success, then? Was it Vermillion?”_

Gabriel’s eyebrows twitched at the sound of his moniker, but Jack shook his head, mouthing ‘quiet’.

“Not Vermillion,” he said aloud to the receiver. “Some other vampires passing through.”

_“You eliminated them?”_

“Another group of hunters had gotten to them first. They weren’t happy about Shimada and I showing up, but we scared ‘em off.” Not entirely a lie, just not the entire truth.

Gabriel was watching him intently, and with their faces so close together, he was suddenly worried that Adawe might pick up the sound of his breathing. He turned his head to the side, keeping the receiver away from Gabriel.

_“I see. Any further progress on taking down Vermillion? We could use you back at HQ.”_

Jack hesitated for a moment, trying to piece together a convincing lie. With Gabriel taking hold of his waist and pressing himself close against Jack, however, it was suddenly very difficult.

“We, uh… We think we might have pin-pointed a location.” He shot Gabriel a warning look, but the man ignored him. He moved one hand to hold Jack steady, and roamed the other up Jack’s side, making him shiver. “He’s been… He and his coven, uh… have been pretty quiet… lately.”

He grit his teeth to stop a pleased sigh as Gabriel’s strong hand moved up to massage between his shoulder blades. After a moment, he unzipped the jacket and removed it from Jack’s shoulders, tossing it over the bed before his hands returned to their positions. Jack held Gabriel’s still arm in one hand, and pressed the other against Gabriel’s shoulder, trying meekly to hold him at bay.

_“Hm. And this nonsense about him trying to protect you? I trust you’ve realised how foolish a notion the idea is and put it behind you?”_

“Well, Gabri- uh, Vermillion, has been behaving oddly, agh!” He couldn’t stop the small gasp as Gabriel slid his hand from Jack’s back to his chest, tickling his underarm as he went.

_“Morrison? Is everything alright?”_

“Oh! Uh, yeah, fine, no worries. Just, uh… an old injury…” He bit his lip as Gabriel’s thumb traced circles around his nipple, getting steadily smaller.

_“Old injury? From what?”_

“Uh… the military?”

_“I see... Morrison, I need to know that you understand the situation with A02VRML. This is not an investigation, it’s a hunt to eliminate a known threat, understood?”_

“I understa- _aaaah!_ ” He slapped a hand across his mouth, eyes squeezing shut, as Gabriel’s fingers squeezed his sensitive nipple – too late.

_“Morrison?!”_

“Sorry!” His voice sounded breathless, and he tried to slap Gabriel’s offending hand away. “Sorry, just my… my hip. Playing up.”

_“…Morrison. Are you taking this seriously?”_

Thankfully, Gabriel’s hand released him, and he breathed a relieved sigh through his nose. “Yes, Commander. Very seriously.” His relief didn’t last long, as both Gabriel’s hands returned to his waist and trickled down…

He turned to look at the vampire, angrily mouthing ‘stop it!’ Gabriel just smirked.

_“The sooner you eliminate Vermillion and the rest of his coven, the sooner we can have you back at HQ, doing the work you’re supposed to do instead of chasing down personal vendettas. I’ve been generous enough to grant you this time as it is. Understood?”_

“Understood.”

Gabriel’s hands clutched his ass cheeks, and he very nearly moaned aloud – Gabriel caught the sound with his lips just in time. Strong fingers kneaded into his soft cheeks, sending a wave of the most pleasant sort of heat through him. He could feel the blush in his cheeks and down his neck, almost burning him.

_“Vermillion is a threat to human society that must be removed. If you can’t complete this task with the help of Shimada, I’ll send another agent to finish it for you. Hurry it up, Morrison. Dismissed.”_

“Understood…” The word came out breathlessly, and his blush deepened.

The line didn’t click out, but there was a pause.

_“Is someone there with you, Morrison?”_

A spark of alarm snapped him back to himself, even despite Gabriel’s wondrous fingers. “No! No, of course not.”

Another pause. _“Hm. Very well. Dismissed, Morrison.”_

The line clicked again and went silent. Jack dropped his head forward into Gabriel’s shoulder with a groan. He was convinced that his entire face was bright red, like a damn cherry. The noises he’d made, while on the line with his boss! What the hell must she think he was doing? He groaned again, more embarrassed than he could remember ever being.

“I hate you,” he grumbled into Gabriel’s shoulder.

Gabriel laughed. “You sure? ‘Cus it sounded like you were enjoying it…” He squeezed Jack’s ass again, but this time, Jack bit his lip and punched him, hard enough to elicit an _oof_.

“Ok, ok, I’m sorry. How about I make it up to you?”

Jack felt a hand tug at his belt, and he looked up, surprised. “Are you sure?”

“I think I can handle this.”

Expertly, he took care of the belt buckle and loosened the zip of Jack’s jeans enough to slip a hand below the waistband. When Jack felt Gabriel’s palm against him through the fabric of his briefs he gasped, tensing up.

“Easy, Jack,” Gabriel purred in his ear. “I’m not gonna hurt you, remember?”

“I know, I know,” Jack fought to steady his breathing, “it’s just… been a while.”

Gabriel paused. “So you… you never did this with anyone else?”

In response, Jack shook his head, still trying to focus on getting his muscles to relax. “Just, uh, me.”

Another short pause, then Gabriel leaned in closer to him, kissing him softly on the cheek. “You ok with this? If you don’t want…”

Jack grabbed his shoulders, pulled him in further. “I’ve been waiting six years, Gabe. I _want_ this.”

That was all the encouragement Gabriel needed. He pressed his palm against the fabric, fingers teasing the tip, just out of reach, playing with it. In response, Jack ground his hips into the hold, barely in control of himself. It had been a damn long time.

“Gabriel,” he growled. “Come _on_.”

A chuckle by his ear, and Gabriel withdrew his hand for a moment – Jack huffed unhappily – before slipping it beneath his briefs, hands warm against his sensitive skin, and Jack gave a quiet yelp.

“Easy, you’re doing good,” Gabriel’s rumbling voice encouraged him. “Just try and relax, would you?”

Jack nodded, but his breathing was ragged already, and his cheeks burned. With gentle fingers, Gabriel began to stroke his length, soft and slow, rolling his hips a little in time with his movements. Jack’s hips twitched, and Gabriel looped an arm around him to keep him steady.

His mind was firing out of control. His senses were on high-alert from the sensitive contact, keying him up even further. Arousal, excitement, nerves, happiness; it was almost overwhelmingly unfamiliar. Six years. Six long years. Jack never would have thought that he’d ever do anything like this again, let alone with the love of his life, his darling Gabriel. Now here he was, getting off with a vampire and enjoying every blushing second of it.

As he started, finally, to relax, Gabriel took him fully in his hand, increasing the speed and firmness of his movements. Jack sucked air in through his teeth, on the verge of moaning loud enough that Hanzo and the others would surely hear him. The thought deepened his blush.

“That’s better, _cariño_ , now you’re enjoying it.” Gabriel kissed softly along his cheek and jaw, avoiding his neck. “Damn, I missed this. I missed being able to make you fall apart like this.”

Jack whimpered, feeling Gabriel’s grip tighten. He bucked his hips against Gabriel’s, biting back the urge to grind into him. He _needed_ this. All this time he had _needed_ Gabriel, not just physically, but emotionally, mentally. Without him he’d been incomplete, hollow, broken, but now, finally, he could be whole again…

Heat washed through him, and this time he did moan, as Gabriel coaxed him towards his climax. He bucked his hips, felt almost dizzy as his arousal surged to a height it hadn’t reached in years, clutching at Gabriel’s shoulders so tightly he was sure there’d be bruises. So close…

There was a click and a whoosh as the door was flung open.

“Gabriel! We’ve just-!”

Jesse stepped halfway through the door and froze.

Jack and Gabriel also froze, Gabriel’s hand still around Jack’s length.

They stared at each other with expressions of horror, alarm, and surprise.

Then Jesse’s surprise cracked into a smirk. “Oh- _ohhhhh_ , looks like the old timers are havin’ a bit of fun, eh?”

“ _Jesse_.” Gabriel’s voice was a tight hiss, containing none of the purr from before. “The _hell_ are you doing here?”

“Well, how was I s’posed to know you were jerkin’ each other off, huh?”

“Jesse!”

“And ain’t you ever heard of a lock?”

“JESSE.”

Jack turned his head to bury it in Gabe’s neck, hoping it might hide his ridiculous blush. Half of him was horrifically embarrassed – the other half was still uncomfortably close to a climax that was quickly cooling off. Gabriel hadn’t moved a muscle since Jesse’s poorly timed entry, which wasn’t helping Jack’s situation. He shifted awkwardly, which seemed to remind Gabriel of where his hand was still lingering, as he hurriedly pulled it away; Jack couldn't quite contain the wistful whine at the loss of contact, but Gabriel was too busy dealing with Jesse to notice.

“There had better be a _damn_ good reason for you barging in,” Gabriel growled.

“Oh, right!” Jesse thrust a thumb over his shoulder. “We’ve caught a new report. Something’s up in the next town over. Could be Talon.”

Gabriel gave a disgruntled sigh. “Then I suppose we’d better check it out. Had to be tonight of all nights, didn’t it?”

Peering up from Gabriel’s shoulder, Jack noticed Jesse roam his eyes over the two of them, cocking an eyebrow as his gaze reached their hips. “I’ll, uh… let ya’ll finish up, shall I?” Before Gabriel could snap at him, he darted back through the doorway, making a show of flicking the lock once he’d shut it.

“Sorry about that…” huffed Gabriel, sounding tired. “I, uh… do you…?”

Jack shifted awkwardly, his discomfort only getting worse. “We’d better just leave it for now, I guess. Could be something important.”

“Yeah.” His body wouldn’t be happy with him for the denial; he’d likely have to make up for it on his own later. Until then, he re-did his belt buckle and watched Gabriel slip into the adjoining wash room.

“Think there’s a chance it’s Talon, or some of his vampires?”

“I hope so.” Gabriel re-emerged and reached for his cloak, which had been draped over the back of a desk chair. “’Cus if it isn’t, I’m gonna be damn pissed that our night got interrupted for nothing.”

“I’m sure we can reschedule to another time, can’t we?”

Gabriel grinned, walked across to Jack and kissed him gently, sweetly.

“You bet your square ass on it. Now let’s go kick butt the way we used to: as a team. With me?”

 “Always.” Jack’s expression dropped to a frown. “Is my ass really square?”

Gabriel’s laugh was answer enough.


	10. Pact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vampires and humans working together goes about as well as you'd expect it to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sooooo sorry this took me so long to update!!! I have been working on this chapter for weeks but with R76 week and then things have been crazy with my studies but I promise that my updates for this fic will be much more frequent from now one!! I have a whole ton of chapters planned so this fic will definitely keep going (but continued support from you guys is my main motivator, so please comment if you're liking where things are going!).

The streets were abandoned save for the lone van zipping through them, weaving around potholes and parked cars, heading for the outskirts of town. Its headlights flooded the dark roads – the streetlights here had long since died and been forgotten – and once it hit the highway, it beamed like a lighthouse in a sable ocean. Inside the van, Jack watched the shadowed road with eagle-like intensity, barely even blinking.

“You should have let me drive,” Gabriel, sitting in the passenger seat, huffed. “Vampires have better vision in the dark.”

Jack didn’t even glance across at the vampire as he answered. “You kidding? When was the last time you had to drive anywhere?”

There was an indignant sniff. “As a matter of fact…”

Jesse stuck his head between the two front seats, interrupting them.

“You two managin’ to keep yer hands to yerselves over here?”

“Jesse,” growled Gabriel, his tone quickly darkening, “I’m warning you right now, _don’t_.”

The younger vampire gave a wry chuckle; rather than taking the hint to back down, Gabriel’s disapproval only seemed to encourage him, much to Jack’s horror. At least he had a good excuse not to look over at the smug grin Jesse would be sporting.

“Hey, it ain’t my fault you two didn’t lock the damn door.” He leaned closer to Jack with a sneer, draping his arm across the back of the seat. “I’m startin’ to think y’all wanted to get caught, ya know.”

Jack’s cheeks blazed and he gripped the steering wheel tighter, doing the best he could to ignore Jesse’s teasing. Inwardly, he wanted to leap out of the van while it was still moving. He’d always leaned a little on the shy side when it came to affection, and after their little mishap earlier, he should’ve known that Jesse wouldn’t let it go easily. Unfortunately.

“Strike two, Jesse.” Gabriel sounded firm but also a little strained, the tiniest crack in his low voice, which assured Jack a little; at least he seemed to be suffering as much as Jack was.

But Jesse wasn’t taking the hint – or, rather, he took the hint, grinned at it, then tossed it out the window into the night beyond.

“I’m surprised we didn’t hear ya, truth be told. I bet Jack’s a real loud moaner.” His voice became breathy and high-pitched in a poor imitation of the blonde. “ _Oh… Oh… Gabriel…_ ”

Jack spluttered in alarm and embarrassment, very nearly losing control of the van.

“Jesse McCree, I _swear to God!_ ” Gabriel twisted in his seat, lunging for Jesse, who quickly retreated back to his seat next to Hanzo, who gave an unimpressed _hmph_. Thankfully, Gabriel refrained from launching himself after him and instead pointed a stern finger in warning. “One more peep out of you and your ass is in serious trouble, mister.”

If ever a grin was so wide and sly that it could be _felt_ , it was Jesse’s, and Jack could definitely feel it, even through his seat.

“Oh yeah? After you’re done dealing with J- _OW!_ ” There was a yelp and a thump, and Jack’s concentration threatened to waver again. “The hell was that for?!”

“You are being a nuisance,” Hanzo replied curtly, “and it’s giving me a headache.”

Jesse’s tone was sullen, pouty. “Fine, fine, I’ll keep quiet.”

“Good,” snapped Gabriel before returning to his seat, arms folded across his chest; when Jack risked a glance across at him, he thought he saw the faintest mahogany tinge at the tips of Gabriel’s ears.

The rest of the trip was relatively peaceful, a true blessing if Jack had ever experienced one. Unlike the city Jack and the coven called home, this one was still heavily populated, and the storm of bright lights was almost painfully unfamiliar for a moment, a stark contrast to the usual blacked-out skyline he was used to. There was also a lot more traffic, and Jack had to slow down significantly to weave his way through it.

“Do we have an exact location?” he asked, fingers tapping the steering wheel impatiently – he wasn’t used to red lights.

Gabriel pulled out a communicator – where on earth had he gotten one of those? – and swiped at the screen a few times. “Should be right around the…”

“There.”

The light had turned green, and one block down, Jack had seen the sirens. All traffic was being redirected by nervous-looking cops. There was even a helicopter circling overhead.

“Shit,” breathed Genji from the back. “How the hell are we meant to get through that?”

“Quietly,” Jack answered, quickly turning down a side street and parking the van. “We don’t want anyone – vampire or human – knowing we’re here. We’ll need to find a way to sneak inside, figure out what’s going on, and…” A beep cut him off.

All five of them leaned in to peer at the communicator in Gabriel’s lap as the screen blinked once, the lines of text replaced by a series of numbers in the shape of a skull.

“The hell…?” Gabriel grumbled, lifting it. He made to turn the device off, but Genji stopped him.

“That’s the same symbol that was on the tip-off that told us about this attack.” The young vampire tapped the skull, and it began to shift, numbers changing to letters and rearranging themselves into sentences. “I think our informant is some kind of hacker.”

The letters settled into place, and Gabriel read the new set of text aloud: “Glad you came. A half-dozen vampires holding four humans hostage inside, ground floor. Be careful, and don’t get caught. _Adios_.”

Jack swore under his breath. “Hostages? I’ve never heard of vampires taking hostages.”

“A trap,” Hanzo suggested grimly. “If, as you say, Talon has located us, could this be a way of trying to draw us out?”

“Like the warehouse attack?” Jack and Gabriel exchanged a look before Jack continued. “Could be. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if a vampire as dangerous as Talon was behind this. Just how organised is his coven?”

“Surprisingly, for such a big one.” Gabriel was frowning deeply. “What if whoever led us here is one of Talon’s? I assumed the information we were getting was from a police dispatch, but…” He bit his lip. “We could be walking straight into a slaughterhouse.”

As though in response, the communicator’s screen blinked again. This time the words were clear enough for all of them to read.

**Trust me.**

Jack huffed. “Trap or no trap, if there _are_ hostages in there, I don’t plan on leaving them to become dinner.” He turned to face their ramshackle team. “I’m going in there, and I’d like to have some back-up with me when I do.”

Unsurprisingly, Gabriel was the first to speak up. “No way you’re going anywhere without me watching your back. I’m in.”

Jesse snickered at the sentiment, but nodded. “Count me in, too.”

Hanzo and Genji also gave their agreement.

“Good.” Jack gave a firm nod. “We’ll split up into two teams, try and tackle them from multiple sides. Hanzo, Genji: I need you two to find a way in from the upper floors and cover us from above. Gabriel and Jesse: the three of us will sneak in from the ground floor.” He leant over to reach into the glove box in front of Gabriel, one arm leaning on a densely muscled thigh – it was suddenly difficult to keep his focus. After some shuffling around, he pulled out two old comm. devices before righting himself and handing one to Hanzo. “We’ll use these to keep in contact – they should still work. And one last thing.” Jack looked around to ensure they were all listening carefully, even Jesse. “We _cannot_ let anyone see us – hunters and vampires – working together. If Nightwatch catches wind of this… it won’t be pretty.”

“Got it.” Jesse shot him a grin that would have been charming if Jack didn’t know better. “Get in, quietly kill a few vampires, get out. Easy.”

Jack certainly hoped so. They gathered and readied their weapons before exiting the van, sticking close to the shadows as they drew closer to the massive building. Once they were out of sight of the flashing sirens, Hanzo and Genji slipped off, heading for a smaller building adjacent to the mall, while Jesse, Gabriel and Jack bee-lined for the underground carpark. There was a blockade over the entrance but no cops or guards, so they easily snuck in, once again keeping to the shadows in case of any cameras. Gabriel kept the hood of his coat up, concealing his face, and Jesse had foregone his hat in favour of a bandana worn across his nose and mouth. Jack had borrowed a beanie from Gabriel – unable to avoid noticing how much it _smelled_ like him – and wore the collar of his leather jacket up, covering his neck and jaw.

They reached the elevator only to find it switched off – Jack cursed.

Beside him, Gabriel gave a chuckle. “You’re forgetting, Jack: you’ve got vampires on your team now.” He tilted his head towards the sealed doors. “I’ll shadow up and see if I can get it working. Jesse, you’ll stay here with Jack. Just try not to kill each other while I’m gone, ok?”

Gabriel’s frame quickly dissipated into a black, faintly violet-tinged smoke, slithering between the sliding doors and vanishing, and Jack felt a hollowness in his gut at his absence, partly due to the fact that he was now alone with a very clearly disgruntled Jesse. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

“So, uh… about earlier…”

“You mean catchin’ ya with Gabe’s hands down yer pants, or before that?”

Jack gave a visible wince. “Right. Sorry about, uh… having to see that.” He shook his head. “But I meant before that. You don’t seem to have much of a liking for me.”

“That’s ‘cus I don’t.” Jesse’s words were as sharp as his gaze as he rounded on Jack. “I don’t see how you’re surprised by that, given how many times you’ve tried to kill me while you’ve been huntin’ down Gabe.”

Again, Jack winced, and he turned away from the accusing look. “I’m not surprised,” he sighed, tiredly. “And I don’t blame you for hating me, if that’s how you feel. I can see now just how wrong I was before – trust me, if I could go back and change everything I did, I’d change every single thing – and while I know that doesn’t really make-up for… what I tried to do, I want you to know that you can trust me now. I wouldn’t ever try to hurt Gabriel again.”

Jesse snorted, unconvinced. “You really expect me to believe ya? The man who spent six years wantin’ nothing more than Gabe’s head on your wall? This time last week you _still_ wanted ‘im dead, and now I’m meant to forgive ya like it never happened?”

He was right, and Jack knew it. Even to himself, his change of heart had seemed so sudden and drastic; his life’s purpose had gone from killing Vermillion to protecting Gabriel, as Jesse had said, within a week. But how could he explain to Jesse that the years of missing Gabriel had worn him down to the bone? How could he tell him with words alone how his heart had ached with longing and the faint hope that maybe Gabriel wasn’t as far gone as he had thought, that night when Gabriel had spared his life? That’s when it had all begun to change; in all his years chasing Vermillion, that was the first time his life had ever been put in Gabriel’s hands, the first time he had even the faintest idea that maybe Gabriel didn’t want to kill Jack as much as Jack wanted to kill him. And even when he’d tried to fight it, to ignore it, the spark of hope it had put in his heart had spread like a wildfire through him, eating away the walls he had built up and maintained as though his life depended on it – for a long time, he believed it had; when grief had become too much, he’d turned to anger, and it had kept him breathing long after his heart had given up. Hope had washed through him, a flood across a parched desert, and brought life back to his dried-up soul.

How could he explain all that in a way that Jesse would understand?

Instead, he gave a long sigh. “You care a lot for Gabriel, don’t you?” he asked quietly.

Jesse stiffened, caught off-guard by the shift in conversation. “Sure I do, he’s my alpha.”

“There’s more to it than that, though, isn’t there?”

A huff. “He picked me up off the streets five years ago,” he explained gruffly. “Never had much of a father to look out for me, or much of a mother, to be honest with ya, so I ended up in a gang, thought it was the closest thing I’d ever have to a family. Joinin’ Gabe’s family wasn’t all sunshine an’ rainbows at first – and turnin’ was a damn nightmare – but Gabe… Workin’ alongside him was the first time I ever felt like I had someone lookin’ out for me. He’s the closest thing to a father I’ve ever had, even if he is a vampire, and I’ll die before I let anything happen to him while I’m around.”

His finishing words were firm, and directed at Jack, who looked away again, nodding. It explained a lot of Jesse’s aggressive behaviour; he was being protective of Gabriel by trying to keep Jack away, trying to force him to back off. If Jack couldn’t get close to him, there was no way he could hurt Gabriel, either physically or emotionally. For Jack’s own well-being -  and Gabriel’s as well, he hoped – that needed to change.

“I know you don’t trust me, Jesse,” Jack began carefully, ignoring Jesse’s grunt, “and I’m not gonna ask you to. All I ask is that you give me a chance. Let me show you that I want to protect Gabriel just as badly as you do, that I’d do whatever it takes to keep him safe – that I love him and care for him, and that I’ll never let the mistakes I made in the past happen again. And if you catch any hint or sign that I don’t – but I can tell you now, there won’t be any – then you can throw me out or kill me or whatever you want. Deal?”

He looked up to meet Jesse’s gaze; there was still accusation in them, but also consideration, just enough to give Jack hope that he might have a chance here. Then Jesse gave a half-grin, nodded to himself, and extended a hand. “Deal, and I’ll be watchin’ ya like a damn hawk, y’hear?”

Jack took the offered hand. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Their grip parted just as the elevator gave a whir and a ding, and the doors slid apart to present Gabriel, in his solid form, waiting for them. “Well, you’re both still in one piece – that’s the second miracle this evening. The first is getting this damn thing working. Come on, before it dies on us!”

The ground floor of the mall was eerily deserted. The attack must have occurred while the mall was still open – stores still had their lights on, and discarded shopping bags littered the ground where people had forgotten about them in their rush to evacuate. It wasn’t a big city, but even so, the mall would have held enough people that most vampires wouldn’t dare to even consider attacking it.

Gabriel must have been thinking the same, as he huffed quietly. “Only Talon would be this brazen. He’s the only vampire who’d launch an attack on this many people.”

According to Nightwatch records, Vermillion, not Talon, was the vampire behind the largest reported attacks across the world. The vampire standing next to him was labelled one of the most dangerous in ever recorded; Nightwatch didn’t even have any idea that Talon existed. Thoughts of how his boss would react if he ever tried to explain the misunderstanding to her flashed through his mind, and Jack had to quickly scatter them – he couldn’t afford distractions now.

The receiver in Jack’s ear buzzed. “Yeah?”

Hanzo answered him. “We are in position on the second floor and have the target in sight. The hostages are being closely guarded. Some of the vampires appear to have weapons.”

“What’s their location? We’re on the ground floor.”

“Not far from the main entry, follow the signs toward it. Do we have a plan of attack?” His tone took on sceptical edge, and Jack reflected that plans hadn’t been his strong point during his partnership with the elder Shimada brother.

Thankfully, Gabriel stepped in. “I’ve been thinking about that. If Talon knows we’re working together, he’ll have prepared his vampires to fight human hunters as well as me and my team. But we have an advantage: silver.” He had to suppress a shiver as he said the word. “Jack and Hanzo, the two of you can use silver to put the vampires down while Jesse and I go in as a distraction. Genji, you’re in charge of freeing the hostages.”

“Got it!” chimed the younger Shimada.

Jesse looked and sounded less eager. “I ain’t sure it’s a good idea for us to be in the thick of it with silver gettin’ shot everywhere. I don’t fancy the idea of gettin’ hit by friendly fire.” He shot a pointed look at Jack as he said it, who frowned.

“Then I’ll go in with you and Gabriel and fight at close-range, Hanzo can cover us from above.”

At the compromise, Jesse’s eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise, and he managed a small nod. Jack moved on quickly, not wanting to give Jesse a chance to find some other issue. “Gabriel will give the signal to move in. Genji, wait until we’ve drawn their attention before you go in.”

With the plan set, the three of them advanced carefully, quietly, through the abandoned mall. Jack’s rifle was ready in his hands, his silver dagger hanging from his belt. Jesse and Gabriel had only their hands to fight with, but from Jack’s experience with vampires, he knew that was the only weapon they needed. As they drew closer, Gabriel suddenly raised a hand to stop them, and they ducked behind a café counter in the middle of the walkway, listening. Jack had to strain his ears to their limits before he could hear the voices.

“Damn it,” hissed one of Talon’s vampires. “How long are we meant to stand around here, huh? The smell of these humans is driving me nuts!”

“As long as _madame_ tells us to wait,” the second one snapped. “Why don’t you quit thinking about your belly and start thinking about how vulnerable we are out here! We’re sitting ducks!”

“For who? Those hunters?” A snort. “They don’t stand a chance against us. Talon said so himself!”

“Well, they’ve survived Talon’s last few attempts to get rid of them. That alpha they’ve got is strong, and now they’re working with proper hunters?”

“Pfft. With _humans_. We’re vampires: we’re _designed_ to kill humans. And besides, Sombra’s got us covered. We’ll spring the trap and they’ll be dead before they knew what _bit_ ‘em, hah!”

Jack bristled at that. He wasn’t surprised to hear that it was, as they’d suspected, a trap, but if this Sombra character was covering them, why hadn’t it been sprung yet? Could Sombra be their informant? He still wasn’t convinced that they were even trustworthy, but he had to admit, so far no trap had been sprung, which was a good sign. Or they were right about to run into it. It was too much uncertainty for Jack’s liking, but if they hadn’t been caught yet, they might as well keep going; he had no intention of backing out now.

A hand brushed against his arm, and he glanced over to see Gabriel watching him carefully.

“I’m about to give the signal,” he said, his voice a hushed whisper. “You ok?”

“Yeah,” Jack nodded, equally quiet. “Just… stay safe, ok?”

“You, too.”

Behind them, Jesse made a low noise of disgust, and Gabriel peered over the counter.

“Alright. Move out in three, two, one…”

He broke down into his shadow form, sliding quickly and silently over the counter. Behind him, he felt a rush of air as Jesse did the same. From the other side of the counter, he heard a startled yell, a growl, a thump, and then he was rushing in, and adrenaline washed over his senses, narrowing everything around him to a series of pin-point movements. The vampire closest to him whirled around in alarm a second before Jack’s rifle slammed into its face, knocking it back. Another second later and silver bullets rammed into its chest. He looked up to see another vampire, mid-charge towards him, receive a silver arrow through the head. Beyond it, Jesse grappled with another vampire, and to the side, Gabriel was in the process of snapping another’s neck. Jack raised his rifle again, planting a pair of bullets through the back of a vampire trying to run, the screech as the silver pierced its flesh ringing sharply in his ears. He heard a thud behind him and whirled around, finger twitching over the trigger, to see Genji hurrying over to a cluster of terrified hostages, who tried to scramble away from him.

For a moment he nearly called out to them, wanted to tell them that there were humans here, too, and barely stopped himself in time. If Nightwatch caught wind of hunters and vampires working together so close to Jack’s office, it was only a matter of time before… Some instinctual sense, born from years of military training and fighting vampires, told him to duck, and he dived sideways. Something rushed past his year – a gun shot? There was a clink as the bullet ricocheted off the tiled floor, narrowly missing one of the hostages Genji was trying to calm down enough to set free.

“ _SNIPER!_ ” Jack roared, whirling around, trying to find them. He yelled into the receiver. “Hanzo, I need eyes on that sniper, _now!_ ”

Like breaking a spell, their coordinated attack suddenly dissolved into chaos. The rifle cracked again, and there was a yell behind him – Jesse’s. Before Jack could turn around to see if he was alright, the vampire in question crashed into him, knocking them both to the ground. Jack rolled, trying to shove Jesse aside.

“Get _off_ me, dammit!”

Jesse was clinging to his arm, the skin turning red beneath his fingers. _Silver??_ His thoughts immediately turned to Gabriel – if Talon had employed another hunter, then they’d be setting their sights on taking out the alpha, and Jack had no intention of letting that happen. He scrambled to his feet, managing to grab his rifle as he did so, and had just enough time to pepper the vampire suddenly charging towards him with silver bullets, watching them drop to the ground with a wail. “Keep your heads down!” he yelled, running forward towards Gabriel.  “Hanzo, get that sniper off our backs!”

There was a crackle over the comm as Hanzo made to reply, but the words were lost to Jack as someone stumbled into him, tripping over his feet. Jack caught them before they fell, dropping down and dragging them with him as he heard the rifle crack again. They looked at each other briefly, and Jack realised she was one of the hostages – she certainly wasn’t a vampire, which only left one other option. Her eyes widened a little, and Jack looked away. “Get out of here!” he growled at her. “Go!”

She mumbled a quiet ‘ _thank you_ ’ before hurrying away, leaving Jack to make a quick survey of the battle. Jesse had recovered already, thanks to accelerated healing, and was back to breaking necks with his bare hands. On his other side, more vampires were rushing into the fray as Genji and Gabriel fought to keep them away from the fleeing hostages. Above him, there was still no sign of the sniper, but Hanzo’s arrows flew through the air with astonishing frequency, keeping them in the clear for now but leaving them without cover. Jack dived behind the counter, where the hostages had previously been kept, and raised his rifle. It had been a long time since he’d had to do much sharpshooting, but thankfully his body remembered enough of his training to carefully pick off vampires at the edge of the fight, far enough away from Gabriel and Genji that he wouldn’t risk hitting them. Unfortunately, the vampires were quick to circle around the two hunters, and Jack’s rifle was suddenly useless.

Cursing, he leapt back over the counter and rushed over to help them, dropping his rifle in favour of the silver dagger at his belt. The first vampire didn’t even notice his approach, and the weapon buried hilt-deep through its back took it by surprise. It crumpled with a gargling yelp, and Gabriel whirled around at the noise, eyes wide and bright. “Jack! Are you-?”

A vampire vaulted up and practically _onto_ Gabriel, sending him staggering sideways, teeth snapping and snarling. Another rushed at Jack, hands reaching for him like claws, and Jack wished he hadn’t been so quick to discard his gun. The first cut, through the thing’s side, didn’t kill it, but did distract it enough that Jack could line it up for a stab to the heart. Genji zipped past him, almost a blur as he raced from vampire to vampire. Gabriel was trying to fend off two vampires at once, and struggling. As Jack made to help him, he heard a yell from Jesse, and turned in time to see an arrow appear through the head of the vampire trying to get its teeth into Jesse’s neck.

Jack’s military mind only needed a second to realise what that meant: no one was covering the enemy sniper. His eyes whipped up and spotted movement almost instantly. A swirl of shadows on a walkway above him, three floors up. The smoke curled, settled, and rapidly took the shape of a long-legged vampire with an impressively long ponytail. In her hands, held to her eye and pointed at chaos below, was a sniper rifle. His blood ran cold. A vampire? Firing _silver_? How?? The thought abandoned him as soon as he realised who the rifle was trained on; his gaze followed the line of the barrel to fall on Gabriel, desperately fending off the last couple of vampires.

His mind went silent, and his body took over. His legs carried him faster than he had thought they could, hurling him across the floor with the speed of an Olympic sprinter. When he was close enough, he threw himself forward, arms out-stretched. His hands connected with Gabriel’s back, shoving him forward with a surprised yell, and his momentum carried him, unfortunately, right into the line of the sniper’s shot, just as another ear-splitting crack boomed through the mall. Pain erupted through his shoulder, forcing a cry from him lips, then he landed heavily on top of Gabriel, clutching his shoulder as warm liquid seeped between his fingers.

“Jack?!” He was rolled onto his back, shouting again as the movement triggered a new wave of pain. “ _Jack!_ ”

His senses came to him in time to see Gabriel finish off the last two vampires, who had gone into a frenzy at the smell of blood and were trying wildly to get to him. Thankfully, Genji swooped in to help, and with the enemy vampires distracted, they were easy to pick off. Wincing, Jack turned his head to get a look at his shoulder: the bullet had torn through the leather of his jacket and just barely grazed his skin, but it was enough to bleed, and certainly enough to hurt. There was a curse, and then Gabriel was over him again.

“ _I have eyes on the sniper_!” Hanzo yelled through the receiver still clipped to his ear. “ _They’re retreating along the third floor! Is Jack alright?_ ”

Gabriel cursed. “Jack’s been shot. I need you down here, now! Genji, keep Jesse under control!” Then he was gone before Jack could tell him not to. There was a flash of panic – _I have to help him! I have to make sure he’s alright!_ – but when he tried to move, the pain in his shoulder sharpened. He managed to get himself into a sitting position as Hanzo reached him, hurrying to cover his wounded shoulder. Past the archer, Jack could see Genji standing in front of Jesse, who was watching him intently. It made him shiver a little, and Hanzo raised an eyebrow at him.

 “Gabriel?” coughed Jack, turning his attention back to the hunter. “Is he…?”

“He went after the sniper. The hostages were freed and we were able to finish off the last of the enemy vampires.” He retrieved a roll of gauze from the pouch at his belt and began hurriedly covering Jack’s shoulder, ensuring any area where blood had dripped was concealed. Once the injury was wrapped, he sprinkled the bandage with holy water – nullifying the smell of blood, Jack realised. A useful tactic when needing to hide from vampires, but why…? He recalled the intense look Jesse had given him, and Gabriel’s order for Genji to watch him. They weren’t the sort of vampires to hunt humans, but it seemed that blood could still affect them – worth remembering for the future.

Genji’s voice reached him through his thoughts. “We need to get out of here before the police find us. Jack, can you walk?”

“’Course I… can…” When he tried to stand, the stinging surged across his skin, but Jack grit his teeth, fighting against it. With Hanzo’s help, he managed to make it to his feet, clutching his injured shoulder. “We’ve gotta go after Gabriel, make sure he’s ok…”

Hanzo began leading him back the way they’d approached, careful to give his shoulder a wide berth. “Unless you know of a quick way to get to the third floor, we don’t have a chance of catching up with him. He’ll have to handle it himself.”

“But they were using silver!”

“Gabriel can take care of himself,” Jesse grunted, not looking at him – Jack noticed he was keeping his distance. “He’s got that luxury thanks to you nearly takin’ a bullet for him.” He still refused to so much as glance in Jack’s direction, but there was the faintest hint of gratitude in his voice – or at least, a lack of the cutting bite that usually accompanied Jesse’s words towards him.

“You guys worry too much,” Genji perked up from ahead of them, turning to flash them a smile over his shoulder, Jack's rifle held gingerly against his chest. “Gabriel’s been kicking vampire butt longer than any of us. And now that he’s got his _boyfriend_ to protect, it'll take more than some lackey to stop him!”

In the brief moment before he realised that he was being teased, Jack desperately hoped so.

 

\-----

 

The sniper was fast, even faster than Gabriel. He chased her until she slipped out of his sights, forcing him to follow her by scent. Blood and death: the scent of a blooded vampire. He rounded a corner into a dark storage area scattered with old boxes and crates and skidded to a stop; there was a new scent here, lighter than the first, slightly metallic.

“ _Hola_ , _amigo_ ,” a voice chirped behind him.

Gabriel whirled around, ready to fight, but the vampire behind him had her hands raised in a gesture of surrender, and the look on her face was amused.

“Hey, don’t give me that look! I’m not here for a fight.”

“Then what are you here for?” Gabriel growled. He knew this wasn’t the vampire that had shot Jack, but he could be almost certain that she was also from Talon’s coven, which made her an enemy, even if she didn’t act like it.

She rolled her eyes. “To talk to you, duh. I was gonna call you once this was all over, but when you came running along on your own, the opportunity was too good to pass up.” Her maroon eyes glinted as she grinned. “Nice to finally meet you.”

Her casual demeanour was both unsettling and reassuring; it was hard to think of her as an enemy when she continued to be so amiable, but Gabriel wasn’t foolish enough to believe that it wasn’t a ruse, not yet at least.

“And who, exactly, am I meeting?” he asked her, not relaxing his stance.

To his surprise, she spread her arms wide and bowed. “ _Sombra_ , champion hacker and vampire, and the one who’s been feeding you information about Talon’s activity.”

The image of the calavera from his communicator flashed through Gabriel’s mind. So this was where their information had been coming from. But if she knew about Talon’s plots and plans, then…

“So you’re one of his, aren’t you?” His eyes narrowed. “Why would you turn against your alpha? Is this some kind of elaborate trap?”

Sombra actually laughed, a quiet sort of chuckle. “Just because Talon is my alpha doesn’t mean I _want_ him to be, and it certainly doesn’t mean I have to be loyal to him.” Her lips twitched into a wry smirk. “Talon never gave me much of a choice about joining his coven – it was sign up or die, and survival is pretty high on my priority list. But what he has in mind? It doesn’t fly with me. I can’t stop him on my own, so I needed someone on the outside to help – I had a feeling you were that someone the first time you interrupted one of Talon’s attacks.”

Despite Gabriel’s hesitance, the explanation made sense. Some reports of small vampire attacks or sightings they’d intercepted from police or even Nightwatch dispatches, but neither organisation had known about Talon – where, then, could the information about his planned attacks have come from, if not from an infiltrator?

“And how do I know I can trust you?” Better to be wary, just in case.

“Because if I wanted you dead, you would be.” Sombra smiled as if to reassure him, but Gabriel found the notion far from comforting. “I could’ve had you killed tonight with a flick of my wrist; I saw you on the security cameras – hacker, remember – as soon as you walked in, and could have alerted my little friends, but I didn’t.” When Gabriel continued to look unconvinced, she sighed. “Look, before Talon came along, I was living a good life on my own. Once he heard about my hacking skills, he tracked me down and forced me to join his coven. I want to get my freedom back, and the only way I can do that is with Talon out of the picture, but aside from that, I want to put a stop to Talon’s plans.”

“And what _are_ those plans? To get stronger by recruiting more vampires to his coven?

Sombra’s expression turned serious. “Not _recruiting_ , he’s _conquering_ them. To build an army of vampires large enough to enslave all humans and make vampires the ruling species.”

Gabriel blanked. He knew Talon was dangerous and hell-bent on becoming stronger, but strong enough to enslave mankind? To try and become the vampire king of the world? He would have called it ridiculous, but from the complete lack of humour in Sombra’s voice and his memories of what he’d seen in the wake of Talon’s attacks, the ones he’d failed to interrupt, he realised just how much truth rang in those words. Talon didn’t want power for the sake of having power, he wanted to _use_ it, and

“He believes that vampires are a superior race, and that humans should be nothing more than a food source,” Sombra continued. “I think he’s _loco_. Thing is: you and I both want to see him stopped, but we both know we can’t do it on our own. Think about it this way: working with me improves your chances of actually beating Talon. Without me, your chances of losing to Talon are a lot higher, and I don’t think you want that to happen.”

A sudden, horrifying image flashed through Gabriel’s mind of Jack, helpless, at Talon’s mercy, white teeth hovering dangerously close to his neck, and he shuddered. It took him a moment to find his voice.

“So you want to help us help you to put an end to Talon?”

“ _Sí_. As far as Talon’s aware, I’m still part of his coven, but I’ll be feeding you information the whole time.”

“About how to stop him? Where he plans to attack next?”

Sombra nodded. “So, are you gonna help me, or not?”

Gabriel frowned, considering her for a moment. “Deal. But if you make me regret this…”

“You won’t.” She grinned again. “I’ll be in touch with you soon. _Adios_ , Gabo.”

With a rush of violet smoke she vanished, leaving him alone in the darkened room, thinking over the decision he’d made until the sound of voices distracted him. Crossing to the window, he peered out at the siren-lit street below. The cops were clustered around a group of civilians he recognised as the hostages – looks like they’d all gotten out unharmed. As he watched, a few of them pointed inside, and he caught a few snatches of what they were saying – _fight… there were guns… I think there was a guy with them… not a vampire…_ – then some of the cops began moving towards the mall entry, jolting Gabriel back into action.

Jack! Was he alright? What if the others were still there, waiting for him? Cursing under his breath, Gabriel hurriedly shadowed from the room, dropping down to the ground floor to notice that Jack and the others were gone, leaving the half-ashen bodies of a few vampires behind; no blood from Jack, which was a good sign – he could faintly smell blood, but if there hadn’t been enough to make a mess, the bullet mustn’t have gone too deep. Following Jack’s distinct scent, Gabriel quickly made his way back to the elevator they’d entered from to find the others waiting for him.

At the sight of him in one piece, Jack gave a wide, relieved grin. “Thank goodness you’re ok! The hell were you thinking, running off like that?”

“Probably the same thing you were when you jumped in front of a bullet for me,” Gabriel huffed in reply. “You always had a reckless streak, but that was damn crazy.”

Jack shrugged, wincing – Gabriel noticed that the injured shoulder had been wrapped tightly and carefully, leaving no visible trace of blood. “Guess so. But as long as you’re ok, that’s what matters.”

Smiling fondly, Gabriel reached up to rest his hand on Jack’s good shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Only if you’re ok, too. Let’s try and both get through this alive and well, ok?” His mind flicked back to Sombra and her warning – the fates that would be in store for them if they failed to stop Talon. He couldn’t let that happen. He wouldn’t.

Hanzo cleared his throat, catching their attention. “We should get out of here before someone comes to investigate, and I will need to get a better look at Jack’s injury.”

“Right!” Gabriel straightened, willing his thoughts away. “Let’s go.”

They clustered into the elevator together – which was, thankfully, still working – and quickly descended to the carpark; in the brief pause, Gabriel glanced across at Jesse, noticing that he was keeping as much distance between himself and Jack as possible, but seemed otherwise composed, even thoughtful. Good.

The scurry from the carpark back to the van went without incident, and this time Gabriel jumped into the driver’s seat before Jack could. When he made to protest, Gabriel shook his head. “Not with that shoulder. Besides, I can still drive when I have to – I’m a vampire, not a zombie - my motor skills work just fine.”

Unable to argue, Jack huffed and climbed up into the passenger’s side, wincing again. Gabriel made a show of taking off gently and easing the car back along the bustling streets they’d arrived by, which were now grid-locked in the opposite direction by the commotion at the mall. On this side of the road the traffic was almost non-existent, and Gabriel was able to easily guide them back onto the highway. Once he'd done so, the quiet lull that had settled over the van as exhaustion set in was cautiously disturbed.

“Gabriel,” Hanzo said suddenly, stirring him once again from his wandering thoughts, “did you locate that sniper? You were gone for some time.”

Oh, right. Gabriel glanced up into the rear-view mirror, catching Hanzo’s frown, and grimaced. They had to learn about Sombra sooner rather than later, might as well tell them now. What would they think of his little deal? Or rather,  _Sombra's_ deal. He risked a look across at Jack, who watched him carefully despite looking like he was ready to drift off to sleep. Huffing through his nose, Gabriel turned his attention back to the road and rolled his shoulders. Better to get it over and done with, as they say.

"So... About that message with the  _calavera_ earlier..."

 


	11. Trial by Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of Talon's most recent attack, Jack worries that their rag-tag team will be able to hold their own against a full enemy force. Bonds are tested and blood is spilled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This chapters contains EXPLICIT content!! Not super explicit, but still, it's definitely NSFW!**
> 
> I am, once again, so so so so so sorry this took me so long to update. I honestly had the whole chapter planned when I posted the last update but every time I tried to write it, it just seemed off. I really need to get back to a regular update schedule, but it's getting hard with study and life stuff.
> 
> I'm also struggling a bit on the motivation side, as well; I feel like I'm getting a lot less hits each chapter. Did people stop reading before I didn't update for a while over the holidays? Do readers not like where the story is going, or is it moving too slowly? I honestly don't know.
> 
> Having said that, I want to give an ABSOLUTELY ENORMOUS THANK YOU to my wonderful handful of readers who read and comment on almost every chapter I put up. Even when I feel like giving up on this I keep going for you guys, cus I know you're waiting for it! You're keeping me going, so thank! <3 <3 <3 This fic is for you guys!

_“Residents are still recovering this morning after a shocking and brazen vampire attack at a local shopping mall overnight. The incident occurred at approximately 7:30pm last night, when the mall was busiest. Witnesses say that a group of up to a dozen vampires seemed to appear from nowhere and began terrorizing shoppers, before taking six people hostage. Miraculously, all hostages were freed and, though they were treated for shock and minor injuries at the scene, none received serious injuries.”_

The blonde-haired newsreader disappeared, replaced by a helicopter image of the street in front of the mall, where emergency vehicles and barricades surrounded the main entrance. The camera switched again, this time to a shot inside the mall the next morning; the café where the hostages had been kept was taped off.

_“The incident could have ended in tragedy if it weren’t for the efforts of what are presumed to be a group of vampire hunters, despite there being no known hunting associations in the local area. No CTV footage of the incident was available, but hostages have reported that their rescuers seemed to share similarities with vampires.”_

A woman appeared on the screen; she had short brown hair and rounded cheeks.

 _“It was… chaos, in there,”_ she was saying. _“I honestly thought I wouldn’t get out alive. But then these… these people showed up… at first we thought they were more vampires – I think I remember seeing red eyes – but then they were helping us. One of them, a man… he helped me escape, and I didn’t see much of his face but I saw that he had blue eyes. So maybe he was human? I don’t know.”_

The woman shook her head before the camera flicked back to the first newsreader, whose expression was solemn.

 " _Police are warning people to stay in their homes after sunset and to report any suspicious activity immediately. Authorities are investigating the matter and vampire-hunting organisation Nightwatch has been contacted regarding the incident.”_

And Adawe had been furious about it. She’d called Jack, once they’d finally returned home to the station well past midnight, bone-weary and lead-footed, practically spitting with outrage.

_This was your area, Jack! How could you let something like this happen??_

When he tried to clarify that, firstly, it wasn’t his area and that, secondly, it wasn’t Vermillion and not part of his case, it had done little to soothe her temper.

“ _We’re low on man-power here, Jack. This case of yours is taking far too long. If you don’t eliminate A02VRML soon I’ll be forced to take action!”_

“I’ve told you, Adawe, I’m making progress. Just give me a little more time and bit of trust, would you?”

She had huffed and grumbled before hanging up, and Jack had wasted no time in flopping down on his bed (which gave a creaking groan in protest), still wearing his clothes, and letting Gabriel wrap himself up against him. Even with Gabriel’s warm presence and how exhausted he felt, Jack had struggled to sleep; worries and anxieties crept out from the recesses of his mind to harry and pester him.

  Now he sat, with the beginnings of dark rings around his eyes, watching a news report of their latest near-disaster in the communal area of the station, surrounded by his motley crew of hunters. With a huff, he reached for the remote and switched the television off.

“Hey!” Jesse whined. “I was watchin’ that!”

Ignoring him, Jack rose stiffly – taking a moment to stretch and roll his shoulders – and turned to stand in front of them. “We might have managed to pull off that attack last night, but we came far too close to failing. It’s likely Talon just wanted to test our strength, and he very nearly bested us. If we want to have any chance at actually beating Talon, we need to work better as a team.”

The immediate response was varied: Genji pouted, Jesse huffed, Gabriel nodded, Hanzo seemed thoughtful.

“So what do you suggest?” the archer asked, frowning.

“We train,” answered Jack. “Practice fighting alongside each other, vampires and humans.”

Gabriel got to his feet. “I’m in. It’s a good idea, and you’re right; we need to be as prepared as we can be before we take the fight to Talon.”

The two beta vampires seemed less reluctant.

“We fought well enough, didn’t we?” Genji grumbled. “Or can’t it at least wait til… later today? We were up almost all night.”

“You’re a vampire!” snapped Jack. “You don’t even need sleep!”

“Well, sure, but we _rest_ …”

He yelped as Gabriel grabbed him by the ankle and literally dragged him off the couch. “Don’t make me play the alpha card, Genji. I say we’re training so we’re training.”

Once Genji and Jesse were finally removed from the couches and standing in a cleared-out area of the main office room, Gabriel took the lead – having experience both as a human fighter and a vampire, Jack figured he would have a better idea of their best strategies.

“Here’s how things should work,” Gabriel began. “Ideally, we’d have vampires going in first to distract the enemy and fighting them at close range, while Jack and Hanzo – who both use ranged weapons – cover us from a distance. If Talon attacks _us_ , however, we’ll be fighting together at fairly close range, and we need to know how to make that work to our advantage.” He spoke with a confidence that reminded Jack suddenly of their days in the army together, when Gabriel had been one of his commanding officers, standing before a group of young and inexperienced recruits, explaining what they had to do to keep their asses out of trouble. For the briefest of moments he flashed back to that time, when they were both so much younger, then far too soon it was gone again, leaving him with a wistful ache in his chest.

“Right, Jack?”

Jack blinked. “Uh… Sorry, I… got distracted.” Just like old times.

Instead of playfully telling Jack off like he used to, Gabriel just shook his head and repeated himself. “You and Genji are gonna be paired off against Jesse and Hanzo. The aim here is for Genji and Jesse to do most of the hand-to-hand fighting, while you and Hanzo try to finish the enemy vampire off. Genji and Jesse, you need to protect your humans – a bite will hurt a vampire, but it’ll turn a human, and we can’t let that happen. Got it?”

This time, Jack made sure to let him know he’d heard, and Gabriel shot him a smirk; seems like he hadn’t forgotten, either. Then he and Genji were facing Hanzo and Jesse, and Jack had to force his mind back to the task at-hand.

“Alright. Three, two, one…” Gabriel clapped his hands.

Jesse charged first, going straight for Jack; unsurprised, he stepped quickly to the side, allowing room for Genji to barrel him off course. Not leaving his back to Jack for more than a second, Jesse spun, but Genji moved him with, keeping him occupied, which left Jack to circle around them.

“Remember to watch your team, not just your enemy!” Gabriel called to them. “Jack!”

He switched his attention away from Jesse and spotted Hanzo, crouched at the sidelines, waiting for the moment to take Genji unawares. Their eyes locked, and Jack ran at him with a yell. The sound must have distracted Genji, as there was suddenly an _oof_ and a thud, then Jesse’s powerful hands were on him, trying to pin him. Jack struggled wildly, thrashing his weight around to try and dislodge the vampire, but it was pointless; there was no way a mortal human could break a vampire’s hold, not without some sort of weapon, and with his hands pinned, Jack was helpless.

Gabriel shouted again. “Hanzo, watch Jesse!”

Twisting in Jesse’s grip, Jack curled his neck around in time to see Genji ram his shoulder into Jesse’s side hard enough that Jesse lost his footing and Jack was nearly dragged to the floor. As he tried to regain his balance, Jesse released Jack, but his momentum then carried him into Hanzo, who had been trying to get into a good position to attack. There was a split-second of wide-eyed surprise across Hanzo’s face before Jesse slammed into him, throwing him back against one of the spare desks with a crash.

“ _Anija!_ ” cried Genji, the fight forgotten.

Once he’d recovered his balance, Jesse whirled around. “Hanzo! Are you ok?”

Leaning against the desk, a little stunned but upright, Hanzo winced as he straightened himself, shaking his head. “I’m fine, I’m fine.” He waved Genji away with a hand and paused, frowning at his palm. Genji drew in a sharp breath.

“Uh oh…”

“What?” Jack demanded, standing behind him.

Hanzo tilted his palm out, still frowning at it, to reveal a thin but fairly deep cut through the soft skin, fresh blood beginning to ooze out of it; he must have cut himself on something on the desk when he crashed into it. But why was Genji so worried? He shot a look at the smaller Shimada, who murmured: “Jesse…”

From where he stood between Hanzo and the two vampires, Jack had to turn around to see what on earth the fuss was about. When he did, he was just in time to Jesse’s wide eyes shift from their usual mahogany to a bright, burning scarlet.

“Oh…” the vampire said simply. “That… smells… _good_.”

“Hanzo, get back!” Gabriel’s roar jarred him into action, but not fast enough. Jack was knocked aside as Jesse bolted for Hanzo, but Genji blocked his path, trying to fend him away from his brother. “Jack, get Hanzo out of here!”

Like Hanzo, for a moment Jack was too alarmed to do anything; he could only watch as Genji struggled to hold Jesse back.

“ _Mmm_ , c’mon, Han! Just a little taste! Swear I won’t hurt ya much!” He no longer even sounded like Jesse, a predatory snarl rattling through his voice. Bigger and stronger than Genji, it wasn’t long before Jesse was able to overwhelm him and bat him away; Genji was thrown to the floor with a yelp, and Jesse turned his fanged grin to Hanzo.

Finally, Jack surged into action, running forward to try and reach Hanzo in time, but he wasn’t fast enough. A dark blur rushed in front of him, colliding with Jesse and taking Gabriel’s shape. Snarling, Jesse lunged for Gabriel, who met his attack with equal strength, locking their arms together as they pushed against one another.

Mesmerised, Jack had to fight to tear himself away from the battle, and rushed across to Hanzo, who looked equally distracted. He grabbed the archer by the arm and dragged him away from the two vampires and towards a now recovered Genji.

“Get yourself together, Jesse!” Gabriel was growling when Jack could turn his attention back to them. “I thought we were past this!”

Jesse snarled and snapped his teeth together. “Aw, knock it off, will ya? I just wanna bite, just a few li’l drops, no harm done! Why you gotta be such a spoil-sport, huh?”

“This isn’t _you_ , Jesse! Control yourself!”

“ _Make me!_ ”

Jesse lunged forward, teeth snapping close to Gabriel’s face – Gabriel jerked back at the last second, snarling.

“I’m warning you! Cut it out or else!”

“Just try it!” Jesse lunged again, and this time Jack heard Gabriel hiss as teeth scraped his arm near his shoulder.

The sight sent panic flaring through him. What if Gabriel got hurt? He needed to help – but how? There had to be something he could do! Before an answer came to mind, Jesse bunched, roared and struck, teeth sinking into Gabriel’s neck just above the collar bone. Gabriel roared in pain and whirled, literally flinging Jesse back and into the desk Hanzo had fallen against earlier with such force that it shattered underneath him, scattering splinters and documents across the floor. Then Gabriel was on him before he could recover, almost wild with rage, neck craned back and lips parted in preparation for a return blow that, Jack suspected, might just be the end of Jesse.

“ _Gabriel!_ ” he cried out without thinking, helpless to do anything else. Then there was movement at his side, and Jack watched something small, round, and pale thunk into the rubble; both vampires immediately froze. Gabriel sniffed, his eyes widened, and then he was hurtling backwards so quickly that he tripped over himself and landed heavily on his rear.

“GARLIC?!”

Jesse scrambled wildly to get away from it, struggling in the mess of wood and paper before he was able to roll free and seek shelter behind Jack’s desk. Gabriel, still on the floor, shot a glare at the hunters, but any raw anger from just a moment ago was gone, the growl vanished from his tone. “Who the hell brought _garlic??_ ”

“I did,” said Hanzo, stepping forward. “I always keep some nearby, and it’s a good thing I do, it seems.” He strode across to the ruined desk and bent over to retrieve the offending herb before turning back to them. “This clove was washed in holy water, to make the smell more… pungent.”

There was the faintest of smirks in his voice, which grew into a visible expression as Genji made a sound of disgust. Jack, however, was struggling to find any humour in the situation as he helped Gabriel back onto his feet.

“The hell was that about?” he demanded when Gabriel was upright again. “Jesse just tried to _bite_ Hanzo!”

Instead of answering, Gabriel just grimaced and stepped around him to make his way over to Jack’s desk; scowling, Jack followed along behind him to see Jesse sitting on the floor, one hand rubbing his head, looking dazed.

“The hell… happened…?” He looked up at Gabriel, eyes widening at his serious expression. “Oh no… Did I…? Please tell me I didn’t…?”

Gabriel shook his head. “You lost control, but you didn’t hurt anyone, kid.” The red marks on Gabriel’s neck said otherwise, but Jack made no comment. “You alright?”

Jesse looked at the floor and nodded, shoulders slumped. “I… I’m sorry, I…” he muttered, still rubbing his head.

With a sigh, Gabriel looked across at Genji, still avoiding Jack’s irritated expression.

“Genji, why don’t you take Jesse out for some fresh air, hey?”

The younger Shimada hurried over to help Jesse up and, with an apologetic look at Hanzo, led him over to the doorway. Once they had slipped through and shut the door behind them, Jack rounded on Gabriel again.

“ _Now_ can you tell me what the hell is going on?”

Gabriel, however, still refused to look at him as he turned back to the two hunters, one hand rubbing absently at his neck, his eyes fixed on his boots. “It’s…  Jesse… He lost control of his vampire instincts. The smell of Hanzo’s blood must have triggered it.”

“A blood frenzy?” asked Jack, his tone a little softer now. “But I thought none of you drank human blood?”

“We don’t.” Gabriel’s answer was firm. “None of us _drink_ it. Genji and I… we’ve _never_ drunk it.”

“But Jesse has?”

Jack shot a quick look across at Hanzo, but his face was still, his expression unreadable, and what might be going through his head Jack couldn’t even hazard a guess at. On the other hand, Gabriel wore a steadily deepening frown.

“When I first found Jesse he’d been running with gangs since he was… I dunno, a kid. He was young when I found him, and he’d been with Deadlock for a long while before that. The whole ‘fight or flight’ thing was so ingrained in him that being turned… he didn’t take to it easily. I kept an eye on him as much as I could but… he got away from me one day. I don’t think he meant to hurt anyone, maybe he just wanted to get some space or… I don’t know, but he…” Gabriel trailed off, grimacing and shuffling his feet.

Jack picked up again for him. “How many?”

“…Two,” he murmured, after a moment. “A young couple. By the time I caught up to him… I was too late. It’s been years since he’s lost control; I thought he was past it, but…”

“Clearly he isn’t.” Jack ‘s tone was sharper than he’d intended. “What if you hadn’t been there to hold him back? What if, next time, there’s no one around to stop him? You should’ve warned us!”

“If I’d thought he was a danger, I… I swear I wouldn’t have…” Gabriel winced, shrinking a little. “I screwed up, I know.”

“And one of us could have been killed!”

“I’m sorry, Jack…”

The response sounded so defeated, so tired, that the last of Jack’s sudden anger rushed from him, replaced by alarm. He hadn’t even realised just how tired Gabriel looked until then, as he reached up to rub at the red mark on his neck. Jack abandoned everything else on his mind and practically sprinted over to him.

“Gabe! Are you alright? Let me look at it. Does it hurt?”

“It’s fine…” but the way he winced when Jack’s fingers hovered over the wound disagreed.

Jack clicked his tongue and led him over to a spare seat. “You’re not fine, damn it.” He leant down to get a closer look at the bite; the skin was red around the two small punctures, but there was no sign of venom or blood. “Wait there.”

He turned to head towards the kitchen and nearly stumbled into Hanzo – he’d barely made a sound walking across the room.

“Jack,” he began, stern. “I need to find Genji and speak with him. Will you be alright with…?” He flicked his gaze around Jack’s shoulder to Gabriel then back again.

“Yeah, of course,” answered Jack, feeling there was something he was missing. “What about Jesse? What if he…?”

He waved the clove of garlic, now safely stored in a small container. “I will be ready.”

“Alright then. Take the van if you need it. How’s that hand?”

“It’s nothing.” To prove the point, he held up his palm - newly bandaged - for Jack’s inspection. “You should worry about Gabriel. I’ll be gone for some hours, I suspect...”

“And I’ll be here when you get back.”

Hanzo seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding, scooping Jack’s keys from the surviving desk, and hurrying out of the office, leaving Jack to stare after him for a bewildered moment. Had Hanzo been trying to suggest something? A few hours was a long time, and the incident with Jesse _had_ raised some old concerns… When he felt Gabriel’s hand on his arm, he jumped.

“You ok?” Gabriel’s warm voice rumbled close to his ear, softly.

Turning back to him, Jack was surprised to see Gabriel look away almost shyly.

“Yeah, just… thinking.” He frowned. “You sure that bite is ok?”

As if on cue, Gabriel rubbed at it again. “Really, Jack, it’s not that bad. Beta and feral venom doesn’t seem to affect me like it does some vampires.”

“Because you don’t…?” _Drink human blood_.

Gabriel caught the implication. “Maybe,” he shrugged, grimacing in discomfort. “Or maybe I’m just tough for an alpha.”

“Whatever the reason, I’m glad you’re ok.” He leant in to lean against Gabriel’s chest, placing a hand over his heart and resting his cheek against his muscular shoulder. “I couldn’t stand it if…”

A hum vibrated through Gabriel. “I promised you, Jack, I’m not letting you go again.” He made to wind his arms around him, but Jack pulled away out of reach.

“But you _can’t_ promise that,” he sighed. “With Talon after us… Who knows when he could attack next? What if he burst in here right now? What if one of us got hurt?”

“Jack…”

“And don’t tell me I don’t need to worry, because I do.”

Gabriel offered him a soft smile. “I know you do. And you’re right, I can’t promise that nothing will happen. But I _can_ promise that I will never stop trying to keep us safe, that I will do everything I can to keep us together.”

His tone was sincere, and Jack wanted so badly to believe it, but something was holding him back. Frowning, he let his fingers glide across the fresh wound on Gabriel’s neck, feeling the skin twitch at his touch. “I kept thinking… hoping… that we could somehow go back to exactly the way we were before all this happened. But… we can’t. Even if we beat Talon, even once this is all over… we can never go back to that.”

“Because I’m a vampire?” There was sadness in Gabriel’s voice, and a hurt that twisted Jack’s heart; he shook his head.

“Because I’m _human_ , Gabriel. I know you’d never hurt me, I trust you, but I can see you holding back around me every day. You can’t even touch me without having to be careful. And if something… happened… like with Jesse today…”

Gabriel’s hands gripped his suddenly, fiercely, and his eyes turned sharp as he met Jack’s. “I would _never_ turn on you like that, Jack. I swear it.”

“But how do you _know_ that? What if some day, something happens and… and you can’t stop it? What if I can’t protect myself – or worse, I have to hurt you?” A sob caught in his throat at the thought. “We can’t just act like things aren’t different now, because they _are_. It’s never going to be the same, Gabriel. It’s not… I still… I _always_ loved you, Gabriel; even when I thought I’d lost you, I still loved you. But I failed you… and now…” He shook his head, tearing himself away from the pain across Gabriel’s face. “We just… can’t go back…”

There was a moment of stillness during which Jack was unable to look at Gabriel, unable to bear the sorrow and pain in his eyes as he stood unmoving, his hold on Jack’s hands loosening, slipping away. When he spoke again, his voice was gentle, wavering slightly. “But we can _try_ , Jack… we can try to make it work…”

Finally, Jack looked up again. “It’s just… Talon, all of these close-calls, Nightwatch… We’ll never be safe together. We’ll have to hide from everyone… and you… I can’t ask you to hold yourself back just to be near me. I can’t expect that of you. Even now, I _know_ , you’re having to be so careful…” His shoulders trembled a little. “I’m sorry, I just… I don’t… we can’t…”

“Jack… It’s ok, I understand…” His fingers wound around Jack’s once again and he stepped forward, pulling them together; Gabriel’s chest was warm and solid against him, a grounding, constant presence, and Jack wanted nothing more than to fall into the embrace it offered. But Jack shook his head.

“Gabriel, I… I just…”

“Want everything to be back the way it was?”

Not trusting his voice, Jack just nodded.

“Me, too,” whispered Gabriel. “But, no matter how much we want it to, we can’t change what happened. You’re right: we can’t go back to what we had. I’m a vampire now, and that changes everything.” When Jack made to protest, Gabriel silenced him with a look. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t make something _new_. I’m willing to try, Jack, as long as you are.”

Hope flared in him, begging him to seize it, but Jack was still tentative. “But… what about…?”

Before he could finish asking his question, Gabriel raised their entwined hands to eye-level. “See this? I don’t even have to try to control my strength anymore. Every day I’m around you, it gets easier. The more time I spend with you, the less I feel like… like a vampire. I want to prove it to you.”

Jack frowned. “How?”

In answer, Gabriel leant forward to close his lips over Jack’s in a tender kiss; there was strength behind it, but no more than one would expect from a passionate lover, and Gabriel was careful not to let his fangs brush against Jack’s lip. When he leant back, his eyes were half-lidded, his gaze warm. “I’m ready to try, if you are.”

Jack’s eyes widened as understanding hit him. “B-But… what about Hanzo and the others?”

“Well, Hanzo did say he’d be gone for a couple of hours…”

“I… really don’t think that’s what Hanzo had in mind for us when he left.” Then again, it had felt like Hanzo had been suggesting _something_ when he’d mentioned worrying about Gabriel… Was he really bold enough to hint at…? He shook his head. “Alright, alright. If you think you’re ready then…” He bit his lip. “I am, too.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

Gabriel watched him, checking for any sign of hesitation, and Jack rolled his eyes.

“Yes, I’m sure! Come on…”

Taking Gabriel’s arm, he led him into Jack’s room, their lips colliding as soon as the door was closed. Unlike other times they had been alone together, there was something serious about the way Gabriel held him now, something gentle and sincere, like every second counted. Every kiss was savoured, every touch lingered, but Jack welcomed it, surrendered himself to Gabriel’s unwavering attention. The feel of Gabriel’s hands on him, of his warmth against him, was something Jack had longed for so badly he couldn’t get enough of it, and soon he was breaking contact for the briefest of seconds to tear away his jacket and shirt, prompting a chuckle from Gabriel.

“So you really do want this?” he asked between kisses.

Jack huffed. “Of course I do, Gabe. I didn’t want to rush you but I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it.”

“Is that so?”

“Just shut up and kiss me, dammit.”

Gabriel complied passionately, carefully moving Jack towards the bed as he did so until the backs of his thighs bumped against the edge of the mattress. He sat, tugging Gabriel down with them to avoid breaking contact again as he lowered himself onto his back and they finally parted to catch some air, Gabriel crouched smiling and breathless over him.

“What do you wanna do?” Jack panted, wriggling in anticipation. Heat was pooling rapidly in his groin, and he wished he’d thought to take his jeans off before he’d lain down. His eyes flicked down towards Gabriel’s waist, wondering if he was feeling a similar tightness.

A hum from Gabriel. “Not sure… but it definitely involves you on your back.”

The words were accompanied by a smirk that shot straight to Jack’s length, and he shivered at the sensation, wriggling again. “Good… just hurry up!”

“I think I liked it better when you were shy-nervous, not bossy-nervous,” chuckled Gabriel. He reached down to undo Jack’s belt buckle and jeans, tugging the hem below his waist – why had he worn something as tight as jeans?! Frowning, probably thinking the same thing, Gabriel gave a grunt as he struggled to remove the jeans, and Jack tried to help by wriggling himself free, but it still took a good minute before the offending garment could be thrown to the floor, leaving Jack in just his briefs. The fabric did little to hide his excitement, and Gabriel cocked an eyebrow as he undid his own pants.

“You know, this kinda reminds me of the first time we were intimate.”

“You all calm and collected, me a horny mess and awkward as hell?” Jack gasped, uncomfortably aroused. “Wondering how the hell I’d managed to get such a handsome guy over me?”

Gabriel chuckled again. “A bit like that, yeah. Except for the calm and collected part.” He kicked his pants away and lowered himself down over Jack again. “I must’ve hidden it pretty well, but I was kinda freaking out.”

“Oh yeah?” Jack shut his eyes and tilted his head back as Gabriel planted soft kisses across his chest. “Why was that, huh? Worried that you were breaking the rules?”

“More like,” another kiss, “couldn’t believe that,” another, closer to his collar bone, “someone like you,” one on his jaw, “was actually real, and actually wanted me.” The final kiss was on Jack’s lips, and lasted long enough for Jack to try and process the words. When they broke apart, Jack grinned.

“Bit too perfect for you, was I?”

“Something like that, Golden Boy.” He traced a finger down along Jack’s chest and stomach to the waistband of his briefs, hooking the fabric and giving an experimental tug; Jack’s hips rolled upwards in response, and Gabriel hissed in a breath. “ _Dios…_ ”

Now Gabriel sported a bulge to match Jack’s own, much to Jack’s joy – he rolled his hips up again, deliberately bumping them together and savouring the moan that came from Gabriel. His briefs were down in one swift tug this time, fully exposing him, and Jack fumbled to do the same to Gabriel; his heart stuttered at the sight of him in the open, fingers itching to touch. Before he could reach for it, however Gabriel caught him by the wrist.

“You haven’t got your comm nearby, have you?” he asked with mock seriousness.

Jack rolled his eyes. “No, I don’t. I still can’t believe you did that – Adawe is my _boss_!”

“And _I’m_ your _partner_ ,” smirked Gabriel, “and I couldn’t resist.”

“If I get fired, I’m blaming you.”

“Good. Then I get you all to myself.”

Jack rolled his eyes again, more exaggerated this time, and pushed himself up on one elbow to capture Gabriel’s lips. As they kissed, Gabriel’s grip on his wrist loosened, and Jack reached out until he felt the warm skin of Gabriel’s aroused length; he jumped a little, gasping just as Jack had done when Gabriel had touched him. Jack smothered the sound with another kiss as he took hold of Gabriel, familiarising himself all over again, tracing his fingers across the little details he’d once known so well, and Gabriel quickly relaxed, humming into the kiss and pressing his hips into Jack’s hand.

He gave a surprised grunt when Jack suddenly stopped and pulled away from him.

“What’s the…?” his words died out as he watched Jack reach across to his nightstand and retrieve a half-used tube from the drawer. “Oh-oh. Prepared, were you?”

As he flicked open the tube’s lid, Jack willed himself not to blush. “I’ve had it for a while…” he mumbled, trying to focus all of his attention on spreading the gel across his hand. When he made to set it aside, Gabriel quickly grabbed it.

“I’m gonna need this,” he grinned by way of explanation, leaving absolutely no chance that Jack wasn’t cherry-red from cheek to collarbone. He really did feel like a young soldier again…

Shaking the thoughts aside, he swallowed his anticipation and reach down to take Gabriel’s length again, beginning to stroke him properly; Gabriel moaned happily, leaning down to press the sound against Jack’s mouth.

“Jack… _Dios_ , I’ve missed this…”

He shifted slightly, pulling away from the brief kiss to tug Jack’s legs up to rest against his wide hips – still maintaining his hand’s steady rhythm, Jack didn’t hesitate to wrap his legs around Gabriel’s waist, trying to drag him back down again, but Gabriel shot him a devilish grin.

“Patience,” he purred, picking up the tube again. Despite his words, however, Jack could tell that his actions were rushed as he applied the gel to his fingers and tossed the tube aside, and when he leant down again, weight resting on one hand, Jack arched up to meet his lips. The smallest of whines escaped him, almost taking him by surprise, but Gabriel took it as the encouragement he needed. The coldness of the gel brushed against his ass cheek, and he jolted.

“ _Ah!_ ”

Gabriel immediately froze. “Jack? You ok…?”

“Yeah, yeah!” he gasped, nodding. “Sorry… cold…”

Concern shifted instantly into amusement, and Gabriel chuckled. “Suck it up, Golden Boy.”

“I’d love to…”

The cold pressed against a far more sensitive area, and Jack hissed loudly, nearly jolting again, but this time Gabriel didn’t stop. He traced the area gently, rubbed and massaged it, letting the gel warm and Jack adjust; it wasn’t long before he was rolling his hips up, asking for more by increasing the speed of his own ministrations. Rumbling low in his chest, Gabriel obliged, swallowing Jack’s yelp with a kiss as he slipped the tip of one finger inside him. It was a feeling so foreign that, for a moment, his body screamed at him to pull away – it had been years since he’d ever let someone else invade him in such a way. But he quickly reminded himself that this was Gabriel, the man who had loved him often and wonderfully, and always carefully, and his muscles rapidly loosened. With his eyes closed and their lips crushed together, it was almost too easy to take himself back to the early years, stealing passionate nights together in Gabriel’s bunker, keeping each other quiet as their bodies rocked in unison…

Gabriel pressed more deeply into him, prompting a shiver that shook him back to the present, and he responded by tightening his grip on Gabriel’s length, eliciting a thrust of Gabriel’s hips and a second finger adding to the first; Jack arched upwards in delight. Too long! Far too long since he’d had this! And from the way Gabriel groaned and puffed between kisses, he guessed it had been too long for him, too.

And it wasn’t long before the two of them were grinding and thrusting against each other, Gabriel pressing deep into Jack and Jack stroking expertly at Gabriel’s length in one hand and his own in the other in time with their hips. They were forced to part as their pants and moans of exertion rose in an intimate chorus, reaching a strained crescendo as they reached their climaxes, Jack only shortly before Gabriel’s, then, panting and sweating, Gabriel collapsed onto the bed beside him. For a few long moments, they could only stare up at the cracked ceiling and struggle to get their breath back.

Six years. Ever since Jack had lost Gabriel and began his long and miserable quest to avenge, he’d been alone. Emotionally and physically isolated. Totally devoid of any intimacy other than the company of his right hand. And now – now, at last, he was no longer alone. And it wasn’t just that he’d found someone, he’d found _Gabriel_. The only man he had ever, could ever, and would ever love so much that he would give up everything for him.

“You were right,” he sighed, voice cracked with fatigue, “we _can_ make something new out of this.” He turned his head to look across at Gabriel, who was watching him with wide-blown, burgundy eyes – Jack had never seen a colour so beautiful. “And I want to. I really do.”

A grin stretched from ear to ear across Gabriel’s face. “Yeah?”

“Fuck yeah.” Jack found himself wearing a grin just as wide, and they laughed, shuffled close, met in a gentle kiss, a silent promise: _No more doubts. They would make this work, no matter what it took. They needed this._

They pulled away to simply smile and watch each other for a time – Jack was the first to move, sighing again and sitting up to frown at himself. “Oh. We might want to shower before Hanzo and the others get back…”

 

\----- 

 

The workshop looked empty from the outside, but Hanzo knew better than to trust outward appearances. As a hunter, he had known better than to believe every human was as they appeared – and now, as a hunter who worked alongside vampires, he knew that every vampire was as dangerous as they might seem. So he was not surprised to slip through the unlocked front door and find Genji sitting cross-legged on the old workbench, frowning at the old guns spread from end-to-end across the long table in front of him.

“I thought you preferred swords to guns, brother.”

Genji looked up, quickly hiding his surprise – anyone else might have missed it entirely, but Hanzo knew his brother too well. “Oh, Hanzo.” He frowned. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to speak with you,” Hanzo replied, striding across to lean against the table, arms folded across his chest, “and to see Jesse.”

“Ah.” Genji rolled his slim shoulders and shot a glance at the back door. “He’s outside – said he wanted some time alone to think. He’s been miserable ever since we left the office.”

Hanzo raised an eyebrow at that. “Oh? Is he unwell?”

The smile Genji flashed him came as a surprise to Hanzo – one of few. “No, no, nothing like that,” explained Genji. “Actually, he’s worried about what you must think of him, after seeing…”

“He lost control?”

Genji nodded, shrugged, sighed. “It’s… weird. I’ve never had a blood frenzy – the smell of blood has never really affected me. I don’t think it affects Gabriel, either. Maybe it’s because I was a hunter before I was turned, or because Gabriel… I don’t know, maybe he’s just strong enough to resist it. But Jesse… he just can’t seem to handle it, not when it’s right in front of him.”

“Gabriel explained that he has… tasted human blood before, while you and he have not,” Hanzo added, solemnly. “Perhaps the mark it leaves is permanent.”

“Maybe.” Another, longer sigh escaped Genji, and he straightened his legs to let them swing over the bench’s edge, toes dangling just above the ground – he wore sandals despite the cold. “I think that’s what Jesse is afraid of. He’s worried that he’s going to hurt someone again, or that people will always see him as a monster.” He glanced up to meet Hanzo’s eye meaningfully. “He’s worried about some people more than others.”

Hanzo blinked. “What…?”

“Aw, come on, Hanzo!” Genji rolled his eyes dramatically. “Jesse _likes_ you. _A lot_. He thinks that after what happened you’ll never be able to trust him enough to like him back.”

“ _That’s_ why he’s miserable?!”

“Uh-huh!” At the sight of Hanzo slapping his palm to his forehead, Genji laughed, a bright and energetic sound. “He’s been moping about Hanzo-this and Hanzo-that since we got here!”

Still covering his face with his hand, Hanzo shook his head. He had noticed Jesse’s charming advances, but had thought it little more than playful flirtation, just a bit of fun – or, maybe, it was simply the way Jesse was. To know that Jesse’s feelings were genuine enough to make him so upset… It left Hanzo feeling confused, but not entirely unhappy, either.

 “Is he right?” Genji asked, suddenly serious, snapping Hanzo back to the conversation.

“About?”

“You never being able to trust him, after today?” The frown across Genji’s face was unusual for Hanzo; it made him think suddenly of how stern he must look all the time, if his frown was anything like Genji’s.

He had to take a moment to think about his answer. “I am not afraid of him,” Hanzo said finally. “Even after what I saw today. Can I trust him? I suppose, now that we are working together, I have to.”

“What about liking him back?” One of Genji’s dyed-green eyebrows twitch, and it was enough to shatter his seriousness; he almost looked silly, trying to keep a straight face, and Hanzo was soon grinning again.

“We will see about that.” He rose from the table and headed for the back door.

Genji called after him. “He said he wanted to be alone!”

“I'm sure he won't mind when he sees it's me!” Hanzo shouted back, casting a glance over his shoulder to see Genji shrug in defeat.

The back door opened with an unhappy groan, and an even unhappier groan soon followed it from somewhere to Hanzo’s right.

“I told ya, Genji, I don’t wanna talk to nobody right now.”

Hanzo let the door creak shut, still grinning. “Oh? I’ll just go, then.”

There was a crash and a clutter, then Jesse’s head appeared from around a stack of old crates. “Hanzo?! The hell are you doin’ here??”

“I wanted to check on you,” replied Hanzo, as amiably as though he were discussing the weather. “Genji mentioned you were feeling a bit… down.”

“Oh, uh, yeah…” Jesse reached up to run a hand through his brown mop of hair, his usual hat left elsewhere – he struggled to look in Hanzo’s direction. “Look, about today…”

Hanzo held up a hand to stop him. “There is no need to apologise. You were not yourself.”

Crimson eyes instead of mahogany, a snarl instead of a charming grin, a rattling growl instead of a smooth drawl… That wasn’t Jesse at all. The man standing awkwardly, shyly in front of him was nothing like the vampire that had lunged for him, hissing and snapping, not even an hour before. The Jesse he knew wasn’t like that. Right now, it was hard to imagine that Jesse could _ever_ be like that, as he fiddled with his belt and scuffed the toe of his boot against the ground.

“Well, I… Nah, I wasn’t, but…” He shook his head. “Look, Hanzo, I understand if… if ya think I’m dangerous – or if ya don’t wanna be around me no more. I get it… and I don’t blame you. I… I _am_ dangerous. I’ve… hurt people before, and I could’ve hurt you, even though I’d never want to… And if I _had_ hurt you, I… I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.” He looked up at Hanzo sheepishly. “I swear I’d never mean to hurt you.”

“I know,” nodded Hanzo. “And I’m not afraid of you.”

Jesse’s eyes widened in surprised. “Wait, you’re… you’re not?”

At Jesse’s shock, Hanzo allowed himself the smallest of smirks. “You forget, Jesse McCree,” he explained, quirking one eyebrow, “that I am a hunter. I know how to handle myself around vampires.” He had the packet with the garlic in his hand and dangling in front of Jesse in a blink; he recoiled with a jump.

“Don’t go wavin’ that around!” he cried. “I get it, you can kick my butt if ye have to!” He pouted again. “Just be nice if ya didn’t have to, y’know…”

Safely storing the garlic once again, Hanzo clicked his tongue. “Ah, yes. I wanted to make you an offer on that.”

“If it involves bitin’ or drinkin’…”

Hanzo cut him off with a raised hand and a roll of his eyes. “ _If you would like_ ,” he interrupted firmly, “I can help you to improve your resistance to the smell of blood. Genji will help as well.”

For a moment Jesse was too stunned to respond; he blinked and moved his lips, but he couldn’t seem to form words. Then he shook his head. “You’d really go to all that trouble… for me?”

“Of course,” nodded Hanzo. “You are a close friend of Genji’s, and he dislikes seeing you upset. And if we are to work together, I want to know that I can trust you with my back. So, are you interested?”

“Hell yeah I am!”

Hanzo grinned. “Good. We can begin tomorrow – unless Talon decides to get in our way.” He turned to go back through the doorway to the workship, but Jesse stopped.

“Hanzo… Thank you.”

Luckily, Hanzo’s smile was mostly turned away from Jesse. “Do not mention it.”

When he strode back to Genji, who had moved to sit on the table instead of the bench, the smile must have still been clear on his face.

“ _Oooooh!_ Is that a blush I see? What exactly were you two doing out there, huh? I haven’t seen you smile like that in… _ever!_ Hanzo, if I didn’t know you better I’d say you had a cru-ush!” He sing-songed the last word, and Hanzo batted at him with a hand.

Did he have a crush on Jesse? There might be potential there, if he let himself get carried away. Was he ever going to admit that to Genji? Not for all the wealth in the world.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Genji's Guide to Vampires and How to Kill Them](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8038576) by [Ricochet713](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ricochet713/pseuds/Ricochet713)




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